Ben Brown Is A Water Sales Scout
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I met Ben at a AA baseball game. I was selling water in the stands, although I wanted to be drinking some of it, because it was a very hot day.
Ben bought some water, and then bought me some, because he could see how extremely hot I was getting up there on the North side of the stands, Upper Section G2. I said, "Thank you, sir." He said, "You don't have to call me sir, ma'am! My good name's Ben Brown." And the way he said it, Brown kind of rhymed with ma'am, but not really.
I told him he could call me by my first name, Dee Dee. That's really kind of like two names when you think about it, but I just pretend it's one name.
And, that sale was two bottles closer to a Yankees Stadium sales job. If I sold enough bottled water, I would prove myself to be a good enough saleswoman to move up to the bigger leagues. Soon triple-A, then professional Yankees games, I hoped. I knew. I saw Ben on the same day of the next week, one section over. He bought him and me some more water, cause it was still hot. He even remembered my name. He said, "Hey Dee, open one of those for your self, it's scorching out here!" Only good friends called me by one first name. I could learn to consider Ben a close friend if it came up; he was cute enough and around my age. One day, I knew I would buy him tickets to a Yankees game.
Time passed, and I saw Ben once a week, every week. Then, I got the call-up. I'd sold 100,000 bottles of mountain fresh spring water. It was time for the big leagues. They were sending me past triple-A, I was going to the pros. It was my last week at Ben's stadium. He moved around to different sections, but was always on the North side. Like me. I waited for his day to come watch some baseball, and then I found him. Section H5.
I told him, "Ben, you want some water today? This'll be the last time you can buy it from me."
He said, "Of course Dee, and one for you, too."
"Don't you wanna know why it's the last time you can buy from me?"
Ben said, "Sure, Dee, why?"
"Cause they gave me the call-up," I said. "I'm gonna start selling at Yankees games."
"Good for you, Dee. Good for you," he said, and tipped me a dollar.
No follow up questions, no number exchange, nothing. I guess we weren't that close of friends, with no chance to get closer. Maybe he'll show up at the new stadium. Maybe that's where he goes on those other days of the week when he's not at the double-A game. Maybe he's a scout. Maybe he's the one who recommended my name to the water people. He knew I could handle the high-stress world of the big leagues. Maybe that's why when they called me, they called me by the one first name, just "Dee."
Dee Dee Peel is a water sales expert.