Have Boats, Will Sell...
Purgatory Cove Fish Dock and Marina
Published: Monday, October 17, 2011 7:00 am
By: Sam, Lefty and Wade, Proprietors
Well, it’s been a slow week here at Purgatory Cove. Sam’s been spending some time in town, mostly at Tooties talking to Nancy, the waitress there. She’s been telling him about how she’s making some extra cash. She scouts around attics and yard sales and picks up what she calls treasures, for pennies. Then she turns around, goes down to the library and uses their computer. She writes up a description and puts it on something she calls Ebuy, or something like that.
Next thing you know, somebody has bought the junk—I mean, treasure—and Nancy ships it off down at the post office. Sam says she’s made a couple hundred bucks sellin’ on this Ebuy thing.
So naturally Sam’s ears perk right up and next thing you know he’s down at the library workin’ on the computer. Which is strange ‘cause we don’t have any such thing here at the Cove. In fact, Sally, the secretary, hand writes all the bills that she sends out to the customers. At least, I think she does. But now that I think about it, maybe that’s why cash is always short around here.
Right away, Sam gets the bright idea of putting one of our derelict boats on Ebuy. Good thing this state doesn’t issue a title on boats, Sam just wrote up a bill of sale and signed it. Looked real authentic, too. Anyhow he and Nancy go down to the library and put the boat on Ebuy.
Well darned if they don’t get this letter and cashiers check from a state called Nigeria. Didn’t know we had a state by that name but I never was a wiz at geography. The only problem was the check was more than Sam was askin’ for the boat. The letter writer said he thought it might be but to just send back a cashiers check for the difference.
Sam hurries down to the bank and gives the check to Wilma and asks for a cashier check for the difference. Wilma’s been around the block a few times and she takes a look at the check and the bank that wrote it. She tells Sam the check writer’s broke and it will be a couple of days before they ship her a new one from the bank’s head office and to come back later in the week. Besides, she knows the state of Sam’s bank account and it won’t support that kind of action.
Well, Sam’s real antsy but holds off till about Thursday. He walks into the bank and Wilma hits him with the bad news. The cashiers check is a fake and is no good. Like I said, Wilma’s been around the block a few times and didn’t like the look of things. She put off writin’ Sam’s check until she cleared the check with the head office. Which it didn’t do. So, Sam didn’t make a killing selling the old boat. But Wilma kept him from loosing his shirt. The only problems are that Sam’s on the outs with Nancy now and Wilma plays poker with Sam’s Momma, so the stories sure to get around town and then some.
Other than that, it’s been a slow week here in Purgatory Cove.
