Chapter 17 #2
“Nice doing business with you,” she says before walking away.
I wave goodbye to her since I can’t get myself to say the words back. My only regret in selling the bracelet is that I was only able to get a fraction of what it’s worth. Before I can dwell on it any longer, Callie walks toward me. I quickly shove Gavin’s tie and belt in my bag.
“Wow, we did good.” She eyes the empty table.
“We sure did,” I say. “Did you get anything for yourself?”
“Just this.” Callie shows me a different kind of jewelry than the one I parted with. A handwoven bracelet she bought from a girl who was raising money for her school. She must really be charitable, because that is a bracelet you couldn’t pay me to wear.
We pack up our things and load the Jeep, which is much easier than unloading it was, since we sold everything we had. Before we get on the freeway, Callie notices something on her dashboard.
“Oh, shoot. My tank is empty. We should fill it before we get on the freeway.” She spots a gas station ahead and turns into it. After she pulls up to the pump, Callie gets out and opens the tank of her car.
“This Jeep is diesel-run?” I ask while the fuel is pumping into the car.
“Yeah. Diesel-run cars don’t have spark plugs, which disrupt the electromagnetic waves,” she explains.
“It’s more expensive to operate, but luckily we don’t drive too much in town.
So a tank usually lasts me weeks.” Easily believable, since even Gavin and I can manage to get from one end of the town to the other on foot.
After the pump is done, Callie gets out to close her tank and pay for the diesel.
“How much did you say we made at the farmer’s market today?” I ask when she returns.
“Three hundred dollars.” Callie’s smile stretches extra wide. “It’s more than we made in the last couple of times I came here. Your display made all the difference.”
“I’m so glad I could help.” Staring out my window, I read the pump. Diesel is $4.31 a gallon, and Callie must have a twenty-one-gallon tank, because the total came out to $86.00.
“Just curious, but does the town reimburse you for the diesel?” I ask as we’re driving off again.
“Nah, we decided to take it out of what we make since we know the town doesn’t have much to spare.”
I do the mental math. That leaves her with just a little over two hundred, which seems hardly worth the effort.
We spent all morning working for her to make less than what I made selling my bracelet in two minutes.
Not to mention the time and effort put into making the products when mine was gifted to me.
On the drive back, when Callie isn’t looking, I decide to slip two hundred-dollar bills into her bag and keep the rest for myself.
As much as I need the money, it seems like a fairer valuation of the day’s efforts.
When we pull into our driveway, Gavin comes around from the side of the house. I assume Mom and Dad are still at the secondhand furniture store since I don’t see the tractor.
Gavin approaches the car as I’m getting out. “So, how was it?” he asks Callie apologetically, anticipating the regret in her response. Happily, she doesn’t give it to him.
“It was great.” Callie beams.
“Really?” Gavin looks at me skeptically.
“Really,” I say without a hint of irony. It felt good to flex my influencer skills after not being able to use them for a while.
“You should come with us next time,” Callie says. “We could use another pair of strong hands.”
“Sure,” he says. “I’d love to come next time if you want me to. Er, if you want my help, that is.” His neck turns all blotchy.
Callie giggles in a pitch that registers slightly higher than what I’m used to hearing from her. “Elena has such an eye for detail. Her display brought in more customers than we could handle. Which was a good problem.”
“Not sure what I can offer in that department. She knows what people want, and drawing a crowd is Elena’s specialty.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” Callie says. “I’m sure it’s in the genes.”
That’s weird. Not only is Callie complimenting Gavin but Gavin is complimenting me over something he has never appreciated. In fact, my ability to draw a crowd was the source of our many, many arguments in the past.
“Well, I better get back.” Callie climbs back into her Jeep. “Thanks again for your help today.”
“No problem.” I wave.
After she drives off I turn to Gavin.
“So now I’m good at drawing a crowd?”
“I was being polite,” he says. But the drunken smile on his face tells me otherwise. “By the way, did you make any money with the items I gave you?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Nah, I didn’t sell the things you gave me.”
“I told you that’s not the right market for luxury goods.”
“Yeah, you were right,” I say, even though he wasn’t.
I also don’t point out another thing Gavin was wrong about.
I don’t need to always make a show of every little thing I do.
I don’t need to tell Gavin, or anyone else, about the money I got for my bracelet or that I donated part of it to the beautification fund to feel good about myself. It’s enough that I know I did.
Excerpt
“You can never go wrong when you surround yourself with people who uplift you.”
The American Dream Achieved: The Story of Dale Ok, Founder of It’s Ok!
Transcript
60 Minutes Interview with Gloria Ok
Interviewer: You headed a charity for the homeless and a walk for breast cancer, and have raised funds for under-resourced schools. Seems like you’re quite busy.
Interviewer: Says here your title is a strategic advisor at the company. Can you explain what that means?
Gloria: Since its inception, I came up with the strategy for It’s Ok! on how to sell, where to sell, and what to sell. Dale said I was great at strategy, so that’s what we decided my official role would be.
Interviewer: Sounds like you did quite a lot. In fact, some would argue that that’s what a founder and CEO does.
Gloria: No, no, no. That’s Dale’s role. He’s always made the business deals. I only advise him on how to do it.
Interviewer: If it’s okay, I’d like to know a little bit about you.
Gloria: Me?
Interviewer: Is that allowed?
Gloria: Of course it is. It’s just…these interviews aren’t usually about me.
Interviewer: I don’t understand. Don’t you work at It’s Ok!?
Gloria: Yes, I do. But these interviews are mostly about Dale, since he’s the head of the company.