“I count only up to 20”“Then how will you count 280.000 euro?”
Part 3
- to read part 2, click here
Beware of the Greeks…
Finally she found the solution. She invited a cousin of hers, "who went to the lyceum for 2 years" to come over and help. Thank God, this guy knew how to use a calculator. At 15.20 we had finished counting. And the next issue was how to carry the money until the notary's office (who was calling every 30 minutes to ask what is going on, with the lady replying – shouting "we count, mister, we count"). The lady proposed to take the bag with the money and bring it there. The same did my client. "No no no… no no no… Beware of the Greeks, even when they bring you gifts or something like this" she stated (it was not relevant with our discussion, but I noticed that many Romanians use it without a reason, they think they say something "clever").
Carrying the money…
I found the solution, becoming ready to apply for… United Nations negotiator! So, we agreed to enter in OUR car, withthe lady's cousin next to the driver (me). In the back there would be the client keeping his bag and the lady touching it (softly I guess, massaging and caressing) so as to make sure that we will not remove any bank note out of it. Another car followed us, having inside the translator, her daughter and a "back up help" she asked.
Spreading 280.000 euro to hundreds of people, out of the notary's office…
At 16.00 we entered into the notary's office. He is the best one in his city, thus people respect him too much. We sat on the chairs around his desk. I looked around the photos and the trophies… But he was also funny and bored as he was waiting for hours ("Ilia, if I wouldn't have done so many deals with you, now I would have been already eating with friends"). The procedure was simplified: He was screaming the names of the people, who were coming to sign the paper, thanking him and then leaving. A second round followed, with each family entering in the room and the client (under the surveillance of the gypsy lady) paying them their share.
After the first 2 – 3 payments, I heard a noise and I excused myself, walking out of the room. What I saw is something I will never forget in my life… There were about 100 – 150 people out of the notary's office, closing completely the street. Whenever someone was getting out carrying the money, his relatives (probably) were reaching him fast, screaming, laughing, shouting… He was spreading money to everyone around him and sometimes this money was changing more hands…
"Fresh money in hand = many ways to spend it fast"
Maybe this is one of Communism's versions that everyone would like to exist… money to appear out of the blue and to be spread automatically to hundreds of hands, without "why", "how", "if", "how much" etc… In less than one hour there was noone left on the street. "Fresh money in hand = many ways to spend it fast" commented the gypsy lady, as she noticed the same with me.
Everyone was happy in the end…
The client bought an excellent property, which he resold in the future. The next buyer developed a project there, which was really successful. The owners took their money, couple of them managed to save some and buy an apartment, as I was informed. The gypsy lady is considered one of the cities "top deal makers" after "she managed to sell to the Greeks". Since then we are like friends, I call her each time I enter in her city. Especially when I bring her Greek sweets, she tries to kiss me so as to thank me, an adventure which I managed to avoid experiencing so far…
PS. After all these and hundreds of hours of work, wouldn't it be a pity to hear a client telling you "and what did you do? You are just a broker. You just told me about a land"?