It was about this time that I starting selling used pick-up trucks. The trucks I’m talking about are the $200.00 to $900.00 variety. Most people wouldn’t want this type of vehicle, but there were a group that were like me, needed a truck but didn’t have a lot of money. Anyway, I’d buy these pick-ups, do a little work on them, shine ‘em up, maybe touch up the paint, and resale them for about $100.00 profit. Wasn’t going to get rich, but it gave me a project to keep busy, and the extra money was needed in this time of our lives.
I had three or four older model trucks setting in the front yard, and a feller came by to look at them. He was a friendly sorta of guy, and we talked about this and that, then he asked the prices of each one. Settling in on two of the vehicles, he kept going back and forth, checking out one and then the other. The dark blue one, I priced at $200.00, and the light blue one at $800.00. After about half hour I realized that I’d paid $700.00 for the dark blue and $125.00 for the lighter colored one. Anyway, I’d gotten them reversed.
Standing their watching this man go back and forth, I was thinking about whether I should tell him of my mistake or not. If he’s not told, and picks the darker colored one, which I paid $700.00 for, then I’ll lose $500.00, and that was more than a lot of money, at least to me. But, wouldn’t that make me a liar? Now, my mind is going in all different directions, and at a speed that was uncomfortable.
If he picks the $200.00 truck that I miss-priced at $800.00, I’d just tell him I made a mistake and would sell it for the $200.00 right price. So that wasn’t going to be a problem, and he was showing a great deal of interest in it.
Walking back to the lighter colored one, with a look as if that was his choice, I started to feel a little relief. But, as there was a pause while looking under the hood, I began to think again of what was done, and the consequence of making this mistake. It came to me. A voice rang in my head softly, but very clear. “Ross, you say what you mean, and you mean what you say”. No, I really didn’t ever give my words that much thought. The gentle voice wasn’t saying that I did this, but that I should.
Wallowing this voice around in that noggin’ of mine was making me dizzy.
My decision was made. Either way he went with this deal was going to be good for him. After a moment’s pause, and good for me.
He bought that darker truck, and at the time of closing the deal, I was both sad that I lost $500.00 on this, and glad, peaceful, and very satisfied that it went the way it did.
He got a pretty nice set of wheels, and I got a million dollar lesson, that only cost a few bucks.
I never did tell this man what really happened. So all went well, for both of us, and I’ll carry this with me for the rest of my life.