Larry Sells His Truck to a New Zealander--An Amazing Story!

Larry decided he didn't need his 2002 Dodge Ram truck anymore, so he put it up for sale in October, when he bought a new Malibu. Finally, in December, when John was in town, he helped us set up an ad on Craig's List. We got a few calls---but just a few. Then last week, when Larry was still in the hospital, I had come home and the phone rang about 8:00 PM. With a very strange accent, the caller said, "Hello, I'm calling about your ad on Craig's List for the Dodge Ram truck! I'm calling from New Zealand! Do you know where that is? It's south of Australia!"

I answered, "Yes, I know where that is." He went on, "I'm planning to be in Texas for about three months. I should arrive next Tuesday, and I need a truck to drive during that time. When I leave, I may sell it or I may ship it back to New Zealand! I'm going to be staying in Pleees-on-tone." I said, "Pleasanton?" He said, "Yes. Is your truck in good condition?" I told him it had never had any fast food eaten in it, and that whenever it rained, my husband came home and wiped it down. It had only one tiny little ding on one side of the door. Yes, it was in excellent condition. He said he'd give us a call when he got to town and that he had cash to pay for it and would like to see it. Tuesday morning, about 8:00, the phone rang, and I said, "Hello?" The person said, "Hello, this is Michael, from New Zealand! I'm in LA and I'm going to be in San Antonio about noon. I want to see your truck and I'll call you when I arrive at the airport. Can you pick me up at the airport?" I explained that my husband had just had open heart surgery, and no, I wouldn't be able to pick him up and he said, "That's no problem, I'll catch a cab to your house." When he arrived, he called and I gave him our address. Within about 30 minutes, he arrived! He paid the cab driver, took his shoes off (New Zealand custom), and left them at the door. In he walked with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates from New Zealand! He drove the truck around the neighborhood with Larry, and loved it! We visited with him for about two hours (!) and he was interesting and likable. We finally hinted, again, that Larry had recently had major heart surgery, and needed to take a nap, and he gave us his business card and said good-bye. He gave Larry a large stack of $100 bills, and drove off into the sunset with the truck!!