“Poobah, you said I should read Sam Walton: Made in America by John Huey and Nuts!: Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success. Are there any other books I should read?
“Well, I just finished a book about two guys on a road trip. I never did learn where the two were headed, why they were going, what they planned to do when they got there, what they did for a living, or even what their names were. But I liked it.”
“Would I like it?”
“Hand me your laptop and I’ll order you a copy on Amazon.” Thirty seconds later the old man said, “It’ll be at your house tomorrow. Are you ready to go home now?”
“Let me check on a couple of things.” Two minutes later, the young man spoke softly, “You didn’t do anything crazy did you?”
“Like what?”
Looking into the eyes of the old man, he asked, “Did you buy stock in my company?”
“That would be insider trading, Sunshine. You know I would never do that.”
“Did you tell any of your friends to buy stock?”
“Of course not. The only thing I’ve done since we got together is add a photo of you to my Facebook feed.”
“Just a photo?”
“You were staring at your computer, deep in thought. I didn’t even write a caption.”
The younger man slumped back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. “Our stock started climbing about the same time you and I sat down at this table.” He looked again at his computer screen and then back to the old man. “We’re going to make it,” he smiled.
“Of course you are.” The old man walked to the door and held it open.
The younger man collected his things and made his way to the door. A few seconds later, their car disappeared from sight.
The girl from the serving window came from behind the counter to wipe down their tabletop. The barista followed close behind her. “What’s that?” he asked.
“It’s a jumbo marshmallow on top of a twenty-dollar bill.” She handed him the marshmallow and he popped it in his mouth.
“The old man again?”
“No, this time it was the younger one.”
“I really think the old one is nuts.”
She smiled and said, “Always has been.”