Road Warrior – Day three
Day Three: Sheds and Knives
Today was Friday and I was able to recognize a lot of weariness in the clients I visited today. I get it – weekends are more fun than the regular work week – more freedom. I also felt like I was kind of going through the motions with my pitches, but whatever I was doing was working because we picked up another new client. That will please my bosses.
Landing this new client sort of kick-started my weekend and made me feel valuable and feeling valuable is on of my two favorite feelings in the world. Feeling valuable makes me feel worth – I know I am supposed to get that feeling from God, but sometimes I don’t. I guess I am just a bit of a people-pleaser and a little insecure – like most people I know.
When I got back to my Lubbock Corporate Housing spot, I took a shower and then checked on my nurse friends next door. They asked me to go to dinner with them at Texas Roadhouse – I said yes and that I would be waiting for them in the lobby. While I was in the lobby I grabbed a local newspaper and was perusing it when a fellow extrovert sat across from me and introduced himself as Tom. Tom was about 50 years old and his twang let me know he was from West Texas. As I put my paper down, Tom asked me what I did for a living. I responded “Sales and marketing.” Then I asked him what he did and he told me, “I am a professional storage shed buyer.” I asked him, “So like the guys on Storage Wars?” He nodded and just began to talk about his latest finds.
I could tell he was feeling the loneliness I had been feeling – he just wanted another human to talk to. And I was happy to lend a listening ear. He went on about last week’s find: “I bought a shed that was piled with your normal junk, but after I bought it, I discovered three suitcases in the back. Suitcases can always be interesting – especially locked ones. I pulled out my big flat head screwdriver and pried them open. Guess what was in them.”
I took a shot. “An original Declaration of Independence worth millions?”
He shook his head and went on. “I wish. No, but it was still interesting. This shed had been abandoned by a now dead accountant and inside these suitcases was old WW2 memorabilia – all kinds of things. One thing that stood out was an old dagger with a swastika at the top. I guess it was a prized weapon for the original owner. Some Nazi.”
As Tom was going on, my nurse friends came downstairs and I cut off my conversation with Tom by saying, “Tom I have to go but how long are you in Lubbock?” I stood up and we shook hands. He responded, “One more month.” I asked his phone number and he gave it to me so we could reconnect later on. “I’ll call you.” He said in closing, “Great Kevin. (I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself to you earlier) I’ll take you to one of the shed auctions with me some time.”
And that was that. I was off to my dinner with three very pretty nurses who were ready to use the weekend as a full on escape from their nursing duties. I might tell you more once I get back to my Lubbock Extended Stay bed. But for now, let’s leave it at that.
