I was waiting for the train and noticed a fellow sitting in the corner. He was on his cell phone. It was a business call.
He was a salesman who knew he’d lost the sale, but who kept on talking, beseeching the client to listen. He tried to meet the client’s objections, but it was clear his competitor simply had the better product. He knew it was over, but he kept talking.
“Please he said let me tell you, yes I know, yes, but our price, yes but, hold on I have the information right here.”
He popped his briefcase open.
“Yes, what, well, here’s what I can do. Yes I know, no wait.”
He shuffled papers, he didn’t find what he was looking for, his eyebrows raised and his brow rippled.
“We’ve been your supplier for 10 years,” he said, “loyalty.”
He shouted the word.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry, let me see what I can do and get back to you. Please, well I’m sure I can work something out. No, we don’t have; yes I understand they do.”
“Please I have a family, yes I know we all have families. Look, what? Please don’t hang up let me do some research and get back to you. Please.”
He sat and looked down at his phone. There would have been a dial tone, but his was a cell phone. He didn’t even get a damn dial tone when he lost the sale, just a mind-numbing silence. He slowly gathered up his papers, put them in his briefcase, looked around to see whether anyone saw that he was crying, and left.