Excerpt
Damn, she looks good, Joel thought as the mare was led
around the ring. Maybe all of the hours that Harry spent grooming
her would pay off.
Joel couldn’t understand much of what the auctioneer had to
say. Something about a “once in a life time opportunity” and
“foundation breeding at its finest,” but all Joel really cared about
was that stack of collectors’ bills waiting at the ranch.
To his surprise, the bidding started at “five” and that didn’t
make Joel feel too good at all. From what Joel had learned from
the fifty horses he had seen come through the ring, it would take
a lot to move the bid on a horse from an opening of 500 dollars to
the 4,000 he was hoping for. But right now something was better
than nothing so Joel convinced himself to just take whatever he
could get for the mare. After all, this was true American free
enterprise at work. He just wished the demand for a
twenty-one-year-old flashy blonde mare was a little better than
he was feeling it was.
But things were looking up: “fifteen,” the auctioneer called as
he took a bid from way in the back of the stands. It was sounding
like more than a few people were looking for a nice gentle horse
for their kids or grandchildren to ride. No sooner had he thought
that than the auctioneer cried “twenty-five.” Joel could feel the
momentum starting to build in the auction mart. In quick order,
the auctioneer took bids for “thirty-five,” “forty-five,” and
“fifty-five” before the bidding slowed down. The auctioneer’s
next call of “sixty-five” was met. Then calling for “seventy-five”
and getting a single nod, the bidding stalled—the couple in the
back had bid but the other folks from ringside didn’t respond.
After calling for “eighty-five” three times and inviting any other
offers but receiving none, the auctioneer declared the mare “sold”
and the crowd cheered wildly.
Must be some kind of end-of-sale tradition, Joel thought as he
started to make his way from the bleachers to pick up his check
and head home.
Libros Libertad 