NEW APARTMENT?

While my wife Dolly was on a week-long expedition on a fishing boat in the North Sea a couple of weeks ago, I took the liberty to buy us a new apartment. Means of communication were lacking, at least until Dolly discovered a satellite phone on day 5, when she finally got a hold of me.

"I have some big news," I told her, and she eagerly responded: "Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi-finals!" "Yeah!" I said, and she was excited and said she had been wondering how the game had gone. She seemed to have forgotten about the showing I went to, however, and I had to remind her of it. "So did it get sold?" she asked. "Yes," I said in a normal, calm voice. "So what did it go for?" she wanted to know. I told her the final price.

Before this showing we had been to about 20 others, and in about 5 bidding rounds in which we lost out. We had become so accustomed to being let down after being excited, and she didn't expect anything different from this showing. Especially not since she wasn't there to see it.

"So did you bid?" she asked. "Yes," I replied. Silence. I then proclaimed: "Dolly, we got it!" Prolonged silence.

"What, you bought it? You are kidding" she (m)uttered with a soft, confused voice, with the sense of paralyzing disbelief one would feel when an exam grade turns out three times lower than expected. "Yes, we have an apartment!" I proclaimed. We lost the satellite connection.

For three days I knew this, while Dolly knew nothing. It was a strange situation, and I couldn't wait to tell her.

Moments later she called me up again, still confused, but now sounding a little more hopeful. It didn't take long before she actually realized what had happened and now the conversation turned quite cheerful. It was as though she had first received the poor exam result of someone else, and then found out that her grade indeed was a top grade!

When she returned from the North Sea, she told me she hadn't slept that following night - her thoughts of a new apartment were rocking like her boat in the heavy seas.

I must admit that my 'stunt' was a little less risky than it may appear (many have commented on my 'bravery', thank you very much). We had both looked at pictures of this apartment online before Dolly left for the expedition, and Dolly thought we should go for this one, provided the price was right. I fought off the competitor bidders to arrive at a reasonable price, and now everyone is happy!

We've struck gold, knock on wood!