THE BARGAIN

THE BARGAIN

Chief fadaka wanted to extend his house but could not do so without losing his garden.

It was a beautiful little garden which his wife had spent years cultivating till it became the envy of their friends and neighbours. Chief also liked to sit there to relax and forget the problems of the business world.

             One day his friend, the chairman of Dawodu and Dawodu, the estate Agents, came to tell him that the trader who owned the small house next to chief's wanted to sell the place.

            'Do you want us to get it for you?' asked Mr Dawodu. 'And if so, have you any special instruction or requests before we enter into negotiations?'

 'Of course i want it,' replied chief Fadaka. 'Where else would i find such a convenient place for my extension? You'd better hurry and secure it before someone else snatches it up. Ask your clerks to make the usual enquiries about title. Anyway, get it conveyed to me as soon as possible.'

           'Do you mind how much it cost? You know, you'll not only be paying for the land but also for the house which you'll then have to pull down.'

           'Don't worry about that,' said Chief Fadaka. 'Just go ahead and get me the place.'

           A week later Mr Dawodu came with the papers. We've bought the place for you,' he announced. 'Only the formalities remain to be completed.'

          How much did it cost?' asked Chief Fadaka.

          'Oh you got a bargain, his friend replied. 'we had valued the land and the little bungalow on it to be worth $25,000. But we got it for $18,000.'

           How did you manage to get it for so little?' asked Chief.

           Well, the poor man had to sell in a hurry. Apparently, he had a small business, which had been doing fairly well. Then he got an unusually large order, and to raise cash to buy the stock he had to put together all his capital, borrow some money from a friend and obtain a short-term loan from his bank. He was on his way to Alaba to buy the goods when he was attacked by armed robbers who took all the money. So, he has to sell his house, wind up his business, repay the loans and retire to his home village to farm. We took advantage of his desperate need for cash to beat him down to the amount that would cover his debts.'

          Would $25,000 have been sufficient to pay his debts and leave him enough to start his new venture at home?' asked Chief Fadaka.

'Oh, yes,' replied Mr Dawodu, rather surprised. He has family land, but he would need some cash to be able to farm above subsistence farming level.'

Then go give him the remaining $7,000. I would never have one easy night's sleep if i made my house bigger and more comfortable by taking advantage of another man's misfortune.'

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