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Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Travelling Saleswoman

The thing about me is that I'll talk to anyone. I love to connect with random people, chat, learn about their experiences and background, have a laugh together. But, sometimes, this is also my downfall.

Have you heard of Talk Fusion? It's another of these pyramid schemes (excuse me, multilevel marketing ventures) where a representative will seek to sign you up so that you can be part of his or her 'downline', and you can begin your own downline, and make BIG BUCKS. They have their own magazine proving it is so, with photos of dashing young men standing beside red Feraris, which, themselves, are parked near impressive looking jetliners. Lifestyles of the rich and famous! (And, coincidentally, the sort of lifestyles that least interest me). 

Well, this morning at Starbucks, a comely lady named Tatien introduced herself to me and invited herself to my table. I'm just dumb enough, of course, to imagine that she had simply been attracted my way by my good looks, so I happily received her company. 

Ugh. 

My goodness, the extent to which these people will go to reel you in is astounding, and exhausting. "No, not interested" simply does not work. They will go to heroic lengths to tell you why it would be foolish for you to be disinterested, why you are in fact interested, why being interested makes you a decent and worthwhile person, and so on and so forth. Although I was fairly blunt, though polite, in my rebuttals and objections, my words bounced off like Nerf projectiles, fazing her not in the least. 

"Here, let me just sign you up," she says. "It's only two thousand dollars, and you'll thank me for it." 

Two thousands dollars? What, American dollars? Are you crazy! Lol. 

"How about this?" I said. "How about we just be friends, and forget the business thing?"

I was given to understand that friendship was certainly possible--wonderful--as part of our business together.

"I'm very busy," she said, always working and making more money, and that's why I see my friends in our meetings and on business trips to Jakarta."

Got it. No friends outside of business hours. And all hours are business hours. 


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