This weekend, I was out to lunch with some friends of mine (T and B), who happen to be a couple around my parents’ age. The three of us were at a casual little restaurant in Downeast Maine. Think $6 sandwiches with chips and a pickle and baked goods the size of your head.
At the next table over, my friends recognized a local billionaire. Nope, not million, billion. He was wearing some non-descript clothes: boat shoes, light wash jeans, and a polo shirt. He had a baseball cap and kind of slouched. He looked like a regular dude.
T smirked. He had a previous, eye rolling interaction with Mr. Billionaire.
As an amateur photographer, T had taken a photo of a very rare and expensive kind of boat Mr. Billionaire owned. The photograph was displayed in the restaurant, and the billionaire had seen it and contacted T about it.
“Well, let me make you a copy of it.” T said, wanting the restaurant to be able to keep its copy.
“How much?” asked Billionaire Guy.
“Oh, I’ll give it to you for free. I’d just love a chance to have a ride on the boat sometime.” T said.
“Well that’s impossible! That is a working boat and everyone on it needs to know how to sail!” Billionaire Guy objected. He hadn’t bothered to even find out that T already knows a lot about sailing and has even worked on several ships.
When Mr. Billionaire left the restaurant Saturday, T asked the waitress what we were all curious about: “So, was he a good tipper?”
She laughed. “Well, he ordered chicken nuggets off the kid’s menu and then got his friend to pay!”
(Turns out the rich have their own saving money tips!)
I thought that was pretty funny. And that started a whole conversation about other funny experiences with the rich. The concensus was that they are either 1) super-nice or 2) super-not-nice.
Insert your favorite ridiculously rich person story here!