Blind Trust

Another woman contacted me about the bed we are selling, and we set up a time for her to come see and/or buy it: 8:00 p.m. She called at 7:00 to ask if we had all the parts for the bed, and if it had any damage. I assured her we all the bolts and nuts, and there was no major damage; it has some normal wear and minor scratches because it’s a used piece of furniture.

The woman, her husband, and their two ~5 year old children showed up on the doorstep at 8:00. I opened the garage door and showed them the bed. The husband just glanced at it from six feet away and was ready to take it immediately. The woman, though, went right up to the headboard, and looked at it closely, running her fingers over ever dent and nick.

They decided to take it, and wanted to write me a check. I asked if they had cash, and after checking their wallets, they didn’t have enough. I had forgotten to specify “cash only” in our sale listing.

“I can show you my driver’s license,” the woman said.

“You can trust us,” the husband said.

My mother always taught me, “trust me” really means, “screw you.” And this situation was just screaming, “rip off.”

I thought for a moment. You know, I don’t want to be suspicious of everyone. Surely not everyone is dishonest. Besides, we really just wanted to get the bed out of our way, more than we needed the money. I agreed to accept a check. It was a conscious decision to take the risk, and if the check turns out bad, I’ll never trust another person. Although, I did write her Arizona driver’s license on the check.

The couple strapped the headboard to the top of their small SUV, put the metal railings inside, and loaded up the kids. I watched them drive away and wondered if the check in my hand was going to clear the bank, or did I just willingly allow myself to be robbed.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com