An Ad...

 Last week I snapped a picture of an ad hanging at a local store. 

STATIONARY EXERCISE BIKE

Then a name, a phone number, and the price.

The same thing happens in local stores in every town, millions of ads placed in millions of stores for millions of products and services, a not-so-underground network of commerce.

We have an exercise bike. It was given to us by our neighbor who was just going to toss it. It works, but only just. My wife and I discussed the option of perhaps buying the exercise bike from the ad so I made the call. 

I called Jim.

Jim didn't pick up. I think that's how most of society operates nowadays. They screen calls. I believe Jim was screening his calls because that's exactly what I do. If I don't recognize the number, I almost never pick up. So, I left a v/m message. I didn't get a call for a few hours--I figured it was no longer available.

Then, Jim called. He very politely said he sold the bike. I thought it strange he would call back. I mean, I probably wouldn't have called if I put up an ad, sold the item, the received a v/m message about the bike. People are just built different up here. And, we like it.