Hyvät kaupat
A real bargain
Ovikello soi. Patterien vaihtamisen jälkeen se on palannut oletusasetuksiin ja soittaa Big Ben -sävelmää. Joka kerta kun ovikello soi (se soi aika harvoin), muistan, että sävelmä pitää vaihtaa tavalliseksi pimpelipom-ovikellonääneksi.
Oven takana seisoivat hehkeä blondi ja pisamainen ruskeaverikkö, jotka kannattelivat välissään punottua koria täynnä kauppatavaraa. Koriin oli kiinnitetty lappu, josta selvisi, että kaupan olevan artikkelit maksoivat 50 dollaria kappale.
Blondi ja ruskeaverikkö olivat siinä viisi, kuusi vuotta vanhoja. Kauppatavara koostui kuution muotoon painelluista muovailuvahapaloista. "Erinomaista esimerkiksi korujen valmistukseen", selitti ruskeaverikkö.
Kulkukauppa tuli minulle sen verran yllätyksenä, etten tajunnut lähettää lapsukaisia suoraan matkoihinsa vaan ryhdyin tinkimään. "Ei ole viittäkymmentä dollaria", sanoin, mikä piti paikkansa. "No kolme dollaria sitten", sanoi blondi. "No yksi dollari sitten", sanoi stereona pisamainen.
Näin tinkimällä oli kauppahinta saatu pudotettua viideskymmenesosaan. Tiukalla karjalaistaidolla sain neuvoteltua samaan hintaan yhden ison ja kaksi pientä muovailuvahan palaa. Dollari pantiin pieneen läpinäkyvään lasirasiaan, jossa ei toistaiseksi ollut vielä yhtään rahaa.
Kukaan ei ennen minua ollut ollut niin hullu että olisi ostanut harmaaksi pyöriteltyä muovailuvahaa.
***
The doorbell rang. Since changing the batteries, it has reverted to the default Big Ben tune. Every time the doorbell rings (which is surprisingly seldom, people prefer to knock), Big Ben takes us by surprise. We never remember to do anything about it.
Anyway, the doorbell rang and I went to the door - this happened on Friday and Andy was in Sydney. There were two people outside, a beautiful blonde and a cheerful looking brunette with freckles. Between them, they carried a big basket with merchandise. In the basket, there was a note explaining that the goods cost $50 each.
The blonde and the brunette were about six years old each, and the articles for sale were pieces of play-dough, formed into little cubes. Most of them were the unmistakable shade of grey that you get when you have played with your play-dough for quite a while and the colours have become blended.
"Excellent for making jewellery", the brunette explained.
The sales activity at my front door took me so much by surprise that I didn't have the good sense to send the little merchants home immediately. "But I don't have 50 dollars", I said, stupefied (this was true). "Three dollars then", said the blonde nonchalantly. "One dollar then", said the one with freckles simultaneously.
After some serious bargaining, I was the owner of three pieces of playdough: one big, grey one and two slightly more colourful small lumps. The dollar was lovingly put away in a little, glass box that was kept in the basket.
No one else had yet been as crazy as to buy a piece of grey play dough, not even three for a dollar.
Comments - Kommentit
My cousins (threee boys) were once caught hawking various toys and trinkets made from bark, grass stalks, and leaves, to passers-by from their little red wagon. Talk about inflation! - they were asking 20 cents for each, and would have been quite happy with 5 (an amount suitable for purchasing one red frog at the milk bar or eight fruit balls/ carob buds from the school canteen).
Posted by: Angharad | August 30, 2006 11:10 PM
Olipa söpö tapaus. Yritteliäisyyttä ja luovuutta kannattaa kannustaa! ;-)
Posted by: Ansku | September 1, 2006 04:52 AM
Well that's it Angharad - I should have offered 5c!
Ne olivat oikein söpöjä, ja hetken kuvittelin seonneeni vuodenajoissa ja maassa ja virpojien ilmestyneen ovelle.
Posted by: Anni | September 1, 2006 12:45 PM