I was working in Monterey County, California – first real job I had since the failure of Flightline Composite Structure, Inc. I had nothing, but was happy to be alive and on the central coast of California.
Suddenly a windfall – a retirement fund matured, and I had money again. I was wise and bought a new stripped-down Mazda pickup truck for cash and opted for one luxury item.
I was living in my shop and had an entry office area that needed something besides the desk. A sofa would be nice (as I was dating a young girl and needed a place to, ah, you know).
I am not sure what drove me to San Jose, but likely an ad for a high-end furniture store. I drove up, noticing that many of the customers were Chinese driving Land Rovers. I was clearly out of my turf.
But I found a remarkable Italian leather sofa with such soft ivory leather that I had to have it. One problem: it was priced at $6,999. Crap – I am always attracted to stuff I can’t afford.
The sweet, but professional, sales person sensed I wanted this. I did.
After some dialog and discussion with her manager, $4,999 was negotiated. Of course, I had no credit card, back then, that even came close and my debit card was only good for $1500 daily.
So, I went to a nearby Bank of America, wrote a check for cash, and paid for the sofa. They loaded it up in my new pickup truck and I drove back to Monterey.
Twenty years later, I just took a snooze on the sofa. Damn sound investment!
