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!
“ OK, now I’m not only annoyed with the state of health insurance in this country, I’m now annoyed with billionaires who don’t have a clue. Apparently Mr. Billionaire hasn’t talked with some of us counterparts. How much did Bill Gates give to charity last year?”
“ We used to farm-sit for a millionaire (one who had inherited the money and farm, not worked for it). She was the stingiest person I’ve ever worked for. We decided that was how she ‘stayed rich’. Oy.”