Ten-Finger Exercises

Oh dear, now what?

So, the lineup of buyers for the airplane, as of last night, had a man from Texas in the lead with a bid of 26,800. I talked to him on the phone. Another, from Iowa, had already emailed Bill an offer of 26K. And another, a man from California that has been persistantly "serious" about buying this plane and has begged that we take it off the market because he's had "such a bad year and so many things have gone wrong and this is the chance to turn things around." He needs to sell his car first to get the money. Tonight he has two very long, desparate sounding voicemails waiting for us, promising that he will get the money. Bill emailed him last night, before these calls, that we had had other bids but had not yet come to a conclusion--actually something that didn't sound as hopeful as that, but I can't remember how he worded it. We both thought that even if he did get a down payment, which is what he had promised, he hadn't mentioned how he'd pay the rest, and we discounted him as a serious contender.

It is sad. Of course I want him to have his life turn around, but I can't imagine this particular plane is the key to his fortune. On the other hand, I don't want him slitting his wrists or taking revenge. I'm probably over-reacting, but if so it is to his manic sounding messages. I don't like emotional blackmail, and that's what this sounds like. No, that definition makes it sound as if I think he's doing it in a manipulative, intentional way, and I don't. I think he's feeling desperate though. Sigh.

Bill has evidently felt sick all day but couldn't leave because too many other people were out. I put a note on the back of his jacket this morning saying, "Send this man home. He's sick." He didn't mention it on the phone, so it may be stuck to the seat of the car.

I've got to go start dinner so I can get the funeral homily written tonight, instead of dealing with airplane issues. The weather, verrrry foggy, looks as if no one will be flying Carrie home this weekend anyway, but it seems fairest to say, "The first one who can put the check in escrow for us buys her."

What's running in my head in addition to this is my next assignment from Lexi's Short Story Pizzazz. Write a sterotypical character who runs across a body of a person who's been stabbed, and flesh out the character beyond the stereotype. i keep thinking of ladies with dementia. whoa!