Page 55 - The Way to the Top

“And so did we,” a very skinny lady said, standing with a man by their
blue convertible. “And, by the way,” the very skinny lady added, “you’re

behind us.”

“Oh, I don’t have an appointment,” my mother explained, as she
straightened the hem of her housedress. “We’re just visiting relatives next
door.”

“What’s everyone waiting for?” Denise asked.

“For the puppies,” the lady with the fan said as if we should know.

“They’re Jack Russells, and they have three of them for sale right over
there next to the barn.”

“You better make that two,” a lady with a poufed head of blond hair said
as she walked past cradling a tiny brown-spotted puppy. She was making

baby sounds. “I got the absolutely cutest one of all! Just look at his sweet
little face!”

The people waiting in line bristled, and Mom moved us out of the way
as the line squeezed closer together. “Come over here, kids,” she directed,
as the fan lady hurried through the gate, “and I’ll tell you what’s really

going on.” Mom laughed to herself as she explained: “The farmer’s wife
was smart enough to get everyone to come at the same time because she
knew it would make everyone want a puppy!”

“But why would it make everyone want a puppy, Mom?” Ellen asked.

“Because everybody wants what everybody wants. And when there are

ten buyers and only three puppies, every dog becomes the pick of the
litter.”

JANUARY 1991, NEW YORK CITY

I had an idea! What was good for the puppies would be good for
apartments, and the next day, I called Bernie back to make an appointment.
Bernie liked my new idea and asked me to explain it to his partners later