Many, many years ago when I first moved to the Champaign area, one of my first recollections that I was not in small town Illinois anymore, was when I was driving back from my job and I turned towards my apartment on a street that was pretty much traffic free. However, at this particular time, there was this large white van with two guys in it. Both looked to be college aged guys, maybe a bit older, but your average guys. Anyway, I pull up to the stop sign at the same time they do and they start waving at me and yelling out the window. Nothing agressive or anything like that, but enough to get my attention and pull up to them. Now, I know that I probably was the poster child for the freshed faced rural kid, recently relocated to the urban jungle but I thought that they were trying to tell me I had a flat tire or something like that. I pulled over, asked what was up, and they proceeded to give me the highest pressure sales pitch I had ever experienced up to that time. They wanted to sell me some "really big ass speakers" for my sound system at home. They went on and on about how good they were, how loud they were and how cheap they were. (They would never be cheap enough, because at the time, I could barely pay for food!) Anyway, they acted like I was the only guy left in the world they could sell to, but I held out and we parted ways. This was like twenty years ago. I was a bit rattled by the whole thing. Someone stopping me on the street to buy something? The presentation looked a bit like a the guys were try to fence stolen speakers! Why me? Did I look gullible enough to buy them, or were thye just looking for the typical student who thinks that his coolness is measured in the decible volume his stereo can produce? I don't know but it always stuck with me.
Then it happened again. Probably about 10 years ago. Near campus while I was parking the car near the WILL building. No one else was in the parking lot, and I was walking alone on the sidewalk. Deja vu all over again! It was a big white van with two guys, (again typical college guy look) selling some really big, cool, cheap speakers! Being 10 years older and far more wise to the con artists that inhabit the urban jungle which I had aclimated myself to, (yeah, right!) I was able to refused them yet again! They tried desperately once again to convince me I needed those speakers but I shut them down. I told them I had a meeting inside and had to go. I had foiled their plans for easy money...
Okay, now fast forward 10 more years, to yesterday! I'll be damned if while walking out of my office door to get something from my truck, if another big white van, with two typical looking college guys in it didn't drive out of the alley. One of the guys leans out the window, and yells at me, (once again there is no one else around....) "Hey, Dude!" "You want some really cheap, big ass speakers?"(yes, the same wording as twenty years ago! Couldn't they come up with something new?) "They are right here in the van!"
What the hell???!!! Are they on some demonic mission to seek me out every ten years or so, and see if I have finally broken down and decided I cannot live without these big ass speakers!?!? Or do I still give everyone the impression that I am some college student who thinks having a really cool sound system is important? (Okay, don't answer that!)
It was just really weird. I told them "No." very firmly. However, this time they tried to trip me up. They asked if I wanted a job for a couple of days. I was not fooled. I knew their evil plan. Again, I said "No." Then they asked me if I knew of anyone who needed a job. This one confused me a bit. Had they finally worked up to retirement and were now looking for new drivers for the white van to track me down for the next twenty years? I told them "No." again but with some reluctance.
After all, after twenty years of following me around without a single sale, they probably deserved a chance to try something new....
I definately know that coincidence is real and God has a sense of humor!
Later!
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