“LOU,” I said to Lou, at the bar, where he was pouring free drinks for everyone, “I want to tell you a story.”
“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?” he asked.
“All my life,” I said, “but this is a story with a message.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Once I owned a clam boat, a handsome boat, but it was sinking.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You heard that part about sinking?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, after a summer of trying to make enough money clamming to pay my college expenses, I sold the boat to three milkmen who wanted to get out of the milk racket and into the clam racket.”
Lou said nothing. He went about his bartender’s duties, and he accepted the congratulations of the tipsy topers. When he worked his way back to my part of the bar, I said, “I sold them a sinking ship, Lou. You see what I’m getting at?”
“Yeah, I see.”
“Okay,” I said. “I just wanted you to hear that story.”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage of you.”
“I know what I’m getting into.”
“Good,” I said. “Okay. That’s settled. That’s okay, then. We won’t say anything more about it. That’s that. Enough said. Done. It’s a done deal. Case closed. Good night.”
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