“Oh, and what did he say to that?” I asked with cautious curiosity.
“Well, he had a funny look on his face at first, and then he said he
would make us an offer.”
“Oh,” I said, rocking my chair back against the wall.
I sat there perched
on two rear legs of the chair.
Mike did the same thing.
“Do you know what the offer is?” I asked.
“No, but we’ll soon find out.”
Suddenly, Mike’s dad burst through the rickety screen door and onto the
porch. Mike and I jumped to our feet, not out of respect, but because we
were startled.
“Ready, boys?” he asked as he pulled up a chair to sit down with us.
We nodded our heads as we pulled our chairs away from the wall to sit
in front of him.
He was a big man, about six feet tall and 200 pounds.
My dad was
taller, about the same weight, and five years older than Mike’s dad. They
sort of looked alike, though not of the same ethnic makeup. Maybe their
energy was similar.
“Mike says you want to learn to make money? Is that correct, Robert?”
I nodded my head quickly, but with a little trepidation. He had a lot of
power behind his words and smile.
“Okay, here’s my offer. I’ll
teach you, but I won’t do it classroom-style.
You work for me, I’ll teach you. You don’t work for me, I won’t teach you.
I can teach you faster if you work, and I’m wasting my time if you just want
to sit and listen like you do in school. That’s my offer. Take it or leave it.”
“Ah, may I ask a question first?” I asked.
“No. Take it or leave it. I’ve got too much work to do to waste my time.
If you can’t make up your mind decisively, then you’ll never learn to make
money anyway. Opportunities come and go. Being able to know when to
make quick decisions is an important skill. You
have the opportunity that
you asked for. School is beginning, or it’s over in 10 seconds,” Mike’s dad
said with a teasing smile.
“Take it,” I said.
“Take it,” said Mike.
“Good,” said Mike’s dad. “Mrs. Martin will be by in 10 minutes. After
I’m through with her, you’ll ride with her to my superette and you can begin
working. I’ll pay you 10 cents an hour, and you’ll work three hours every
Saturday.”
“But I have a softball game today,” I said.
Mike’s dad lowered his voice to a stern tone. “Take it,
or leave it,” he
said.
“I’ll take it,” I replied, choosing to work and learn instead of playing.
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