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Authors: Stephanie Bond
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was Sylvie. Could it possibly be the same woman? I looked up the bidder’s profile and saw the zip code was within Manhattan…it seemed too much of a coincidence to be anyone but her.
And cal me warped, but I was not going to let that woman have my dress, especial y when now I could use it myself. I was even more concerned when I saw by the high number next to her user ID that she was a veteran buyer—drat! Then in a moment of blessed revelation, I realized I could simply have a friend, i.e. Cindy, bid on the gown and win the auction, with no one the wiser that no money had changed hands. What I had in mind wasn’t ethical if the intent was to run up the price artificial y. But this was an emergency, and I had no intention of taking any money from Sylvie’s mom. I’d only be out the percentage of the sale I would owe the auction house.
By gol y, I was going to win back my dress.
I cal ed Cindy, but before I could tel her what I had in mind, she blurted, “He cal ed!”
“Who cal ed?”
“The guy from my Positive Thinking class! He wants to meet for a drink Friday night.”
“That’s great!” I said and my heart wel ed for her. She deserved a terrific guy.
“Maybe buying the wedding dress wil work for me, too,” she said, laughing.
I cleared my throat. “Speaking of the wedding dress, I have a favor to ask.”
“What?”
I told her my plan to get my dress back, and she was hesitant until I told her who the bidder was.
“Ooh! That woman can’t possibly have your dress. What do I have to do?”
I gave her the auction number. “Log on and bid three hundred dol ars. No! Three hundred and five dol ars. And thirty-three cents.” Bidding in odd amounts could give a bidder an advantage.
“Okay,” she said. “I’l cal you back when I’m finished.” Because she wasn’t an auction/e-mail hound like me, Cindy had one phone line between her phone and computer.
I watched the auction screen on my computer, hitting the reload button every few seconds until Cindy’s user ID, WANTSAMAN, popped up as the high bidder at $280. No
matter what amount a bidder enters, eBay wil only increment the bid by enough to win the auction. Since the minimum incremental bid at this price point was five dol ars, SYLVIESMOM
must have bid exactly $275, ergo Cindy’s bid automatical y adjusting to $280. Aha! With such a tentative initial bid, maybe the woman wasn’t that serious about the dress…maybe we would scare her off.
Cindy cal ed back. “Did it work?”
“For now. I’l keep you posted.”
“So I forgot to ask you—are your parents excited about your engagement?”
I bit my lip. “I haven’t told them yet.”
“What? Why not?”
Good question. Even though they were in England, I could have cal ed their cel phone. My mother, Gayle, put X’s on the calendar to count down the days of my “fertile years.”
She liked Barry, and would be beyond ecstatic to learn of our engagement. My dad, Harrison, and Barry had never real y clicked. But talking to my dad was like talking to a portly bronze statue. Stil , he’d be happy if I were happy.
“They’re out of the country. I’l cal them…soon.”
Cindy sighed. “If I were getting married, my parents would throw a parade.”
I laughed. “Maybe this guy from your Positive Thinking class is the one. ”
“Maybe. Meanwhile, let me know if you see a bachelor go on the block on eBay.”
“Deal. Talk soon.” I said goodbye and hung up, dreading the cal to Redford with every fiber of my being. But neither did I want to wait too long and disrupt his family’s evening.
Chastising myself for the ridiculous butterflies in my stomach, I dialed the number he’d given me and exhaled slowly while it rang.
The phone was picked up, then after much wal owing, a child’s voice came on the line. “Heh-wo?”
One of his girls, apparently. “Hel o, is your daddy there?”
“Who is dis?”
“Um, this is…a friend…Denise.”
“Deece?” the little
And cal me warped, but I was not going to let that woman have my dress, especial y when now I could use it myself. I was even more concerned when I saw by the high number next to her user ID that she was a veteran buyer—drat! Then in a moment of blessed revelation, I realized I could simply have a friend, i.e. Cindy, bid on the gown and win the auction, with no one the wiser that no money had changed hands. What I had in mind wasn’t ethical if the intent was to run up the price artificial y. But this was an emergency, and I had no intention of taking any money from Sylvie’s mom. I’d only be out the percentage of the sale I would owe the auction house.
By gol y, I was going to win back my dress.
I cal ed Cindy, but before I could tel her what I had in mind, she blurted, “He cal ed!”
“Who cal ed?”
“The guy from my Positive Thinking class! He wants to meet for a drink Friday night.”
“That’s great!” I said and my heart wel ed for her. She deserved a terrific guy.
“Maybe buying the wedding dress wil work for me, too,” she said, laughing.
I cleared my throat. “Speaking of the wedding dress, I have a favor to ask.”
“What?”
I told her my plan to get my dress back, and she was hesitant until I told her who the bidder was.
“Ooh! That woman can’t possibly have your dress. What do I have to do?”
I gave her the auction number. “Log on and bid three hundred dol ars. No! Three hundred and five dol ars. And thirty-three cents.” Bidding in odd amounts could give a bidder an advantage.
“Okay,” she said. “I’l cal you back when I’m finished.” Because she wasn’t an auction/e-mail hound like me, Cindy had one phone line between her phone and computer.
I watched the auction screen on my computer, hitting the reload button every few seconds until Cindy’s user ID, WANTSAMAN, popped up as the high bidder at $280. No
matter what amount a bidder enters, eBay wil only increment the bid by enough to win the auction. Since the minimum incremental bid at this price point was five dol ars, SYLVIESMOM
must have bid exactly $275, ergo Cindy’s bid automatical y adjusting to $280. Aha! With such a tentative initial bid, maybe the woman wasn’t that serious about the dress…maybe we would scare her off.
Cindy cal ed back. “Did it work?”
“For now. I’l keep you posted.”
“So I forgot to ask you—are your parents excited about your engagement?”
I bit my lip. “I haven’t told them yet.”
“What? Why not?”
Good question. Even though they were in England, I could have cal ed their cel phone. My mother, Gayle, put X’s on the calendar to count down the days of my “fertile years.”
She liked Barry, and would be beyond ecstatic to learn of our engagement. My dad, Harrison, and Barry had never real y clicked. But talking to my dad was like talking to a portly bronze statue. Stil , he’d be happy if I were happy.
“They’re out of the country. I’l cal them…soon.”
Cindy sighed. “If I were getting married, my parents would throw a parade.”
I laughed. “Maybe this guy from your Positive Thinking class is the one. ”
“Maybe. Meanwhile, let me know if you see a bachelor go on the block on eBay.”
“Deal. Talk soon.” I said goodbye and hung up, dreading the cal to Redford with every fiber of my being. But neither did I want to wait too long and disrupt his family’s evening.
Chastising myself for the ridiculous butterflies in my stomach, I dialed the number he’d given me and exhaled slowly while it rang.
The phone was picked up, then after much wal owing, a child’s voice came on the line. “Heh-wo?”
One of his girls, apparently. “Hel o, is your daddy there?”
“Who is dis?”
“Um, this is…a friend…Denise.”
“Deece?” the little
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