A negotiation with a villager…

…was not easy.

I needed a small piece of land on the North to gain access to the “highway”. Some barren land, whose Eastern edge is mere marsh during monsoons. I threw a price that I’m sure was reasonable. He threw back a stunning counter-offer. Then he socked me, saying he has an offer from a stone crusher. A noisy, dust-raking operation by my plantation! I abandoned all rules of navigating a negotiation and ran to him.

The old man said I needn’t worry, that I’ll congratulate myself in six months that I got a fantastic bargain. We sat two hours; he nursed an orange juice; I sipped a coffee. I went up 50%. He came down 2%. I went up 100%. He climbed down 5%. We closed the deal.

I await the end of six months.