I was expecting a repairman. Sitting reading my Kindle someone yelled out my name from the dock. I yelled back "YO!" My name was yelled out again. "Come on up." A minute later I was called again. WTF? I stood up and looked and saw an Indian next the dock. It looked like he was in the water, but was most certainly in a cayacu. I waved him up. He waved again. God damn it. I walked down to the dock. It was Eladio, the guy I bought the land from in a dugout with two very fat young women. He gave me a big grin shook my hand. I asked him out of the boat. He looked at me, "enfermo?" My entire body covered in sores from a very bad staph infection.
How did Eladio know where I live? One of life's mysteries.
I wouldn't shake his hand, he did not understand. I invited the girls up to the house, they seemed embarrassed at the prospect. We walked up to the house and Eladio and I sat on the couch. The girls stood until directed to sit down.
Eladio wanted to draw up a bill of materials for a dock.
100 Poste
125: pies de 10
Madera de sapatero
65 x pies
1850 pest
He handed over, that was it.
What the fuck? Ok time to decipher.
I need 100 posts, sounds reasonable considering the length of the dock.
$125 a foot. Hmmm he must mean $1.25 a foot.
That would make the madera $.65 a foot and I need 1850 feet of it.
Ok I created a spreadsheet with the numbers so the he could understand and agree to the dollars but he didn't have a clue what it meant. My Spanish horrible as it is surpasses his English but I did manage to say this is the cost of the posts he did the calculations by hand at an commendable rate and the numbers matched. Next the madera, which is the type of wood to be used on the planks. Same thing. Ok we are at about $2,400 in materials, seems quite reasonable for a 180 foot dock. Labor $500. Quite reasonable for a 150 dock. A friend of mine paid $13,000 for a 100 foot dock. Of course his has concrete posts and will last indefinitely these posts have a life expectancy of twelve years.
He was delighted when I agreed without negotiation. As he trusts me they had already started cutting the posts. Then he asked how much money I had in the house. What the fuck? You think I am going to answer that? He is such a sweet guy that this was surely a language barrier thing. I called a friend who talked to Eladio. There is a $500 down payment. Well I don't have $500 with me. Turns out he just wanted a few bucks in advance right now so he could eat. I gave a $20 and we agreed to meet tomorrow at the real estate office.
He gave me another one of his winning smiles and again wanted to put my mitt into his paw but I pointed to the scabs all over my arms and shook my head. They walked down to the dock and silently but quickly disappeared around the bend.
How did Eladio know where I live? One of life's mysteries.
I wouldn't shake his hand, he did not understand. I invited the girls up to the house, they seemed embarrassed at the prospect. We walked up to the house and Eladio and I sat on the couch. The girls stood until directed to sit down.
Eladio wanted to draw up a bill of materials for a dock.
100 Poste
125: pies de 10
Madera de sapatero
65 x pies
1850 pest
He handed over, that was it.
What the fuck? Ok time to decipher.
I need 100 posts, sounds reasonable considering the length of the dock.
$125 a foot. Hmmm he must mean $1.25 a foot.
That would make the madera $.65 a foot and I need 1850 feet of it.
Ok I created a spreadsheet with the numbers so the he could understand and agree to the dollars but he didn't have a clue what it meant. My Spanish horrible as it is surpasses his English but I did manage to say this is the cost of the posts he did the calculations by hand at an commendable rate and the numbers matched. Next the madera, which is the type of wood to be used on the planks. Same thing. Ok we are at about $2,400 in materials, seems quite reasonable for a 180 foot dock. Labor $500. Quite reasonable for a 150 dock. A friend of mine paid $13,000 for a 100 foot dock. Of course his has concrete posts and will last indefinitely these posts have a life expectancy of twelve years.
He was delighted when I agreed without negotiation. As he trusts me they had already started cutting the posts. Then he asked how much money I had in the house. What the fuck? You think I am going to answer that? He is such a sweet guy that this was surely a language barrier thing. I called a friend who talked to Eladio. There is a $500 down payment. Well I don't have $500 with me. Turns out he just wanted a few bucks in advance right now so he could eat. I gave a $20 and we agreed to meet tomorrow at the real estate office.
He gave me another one of his winning smiles and again wanted to put my mitt into his paw but I pointed to the scabs all over my arms and shook my head. They walked down to the dock and silently but quickly disappeared around the bend.
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