Ode to a Forest River Salem 32 Foot Travel Trailer

Bubbles leave the watched pot
The horse has left the barn
Our camper left the gravel lot
Early Sunday morn

Keys and title given up
For handshake and a check
The Veteran riding with his pup
Was at Val's call and beck

Ol' Val is such a doubter
Of the deal that Hick did make
The check is on the counter
Why does she fear it's fake

Sunday morning, I met The Veteran on the parking lot where Hick has his Storage Unit Store. The Veteran brought along his new pup, a yellow lab that he won in a raffle, now 15 weeks old. I'm not so sure he did it for the companionship, as much as to keep that doggie out of trouble. Seems he ate a square of the kitchen flooring during his first week in his new home. Perhaps that's how he became a raffle prize.

Anyhoo... we'd only been there about 5 minutes, The Veteran sitting in T-Hoe to chat while his large pup sat in the air-conditioned cab of his running truck, when Blue Truck Man arrived. The title and keys were exchanged for the check forthwith, and The Veteran got back Hick's FOR SALE signs. He said that Hick had instructed him to bring home the bricks supporting the camper, if Blue Truck Man didn't want them. He was relieved that Blue Truck Man said he'd take the bricks.

The Veteran helped Blue Truck Man with the hitch, then we chatted a while. Blue Truck Man decided to flip the hitch, or change the bolts around. Something mechanical of which my head has no need to fill itself with details. He came over to see if The Veteran had a Phillips screwdriver. Alas, he had everything but. No big deal. I was sure he could find one at the flea market, but he said he was going to the nearby Family Center store for an extension cord anyway, and would get one there.

Blue Truck Man said he had originally come to town to the feed store that's across the street from the storage units. As he came up the hill, he saw our camper on the parking lot. Of course he had to come look at it, and gave Hick a call. Location, location, location!

Anyhoo... I got the check home, and the more I looked at it, the more I fear it is fake!

Yes, it's a cashier's check, from a bank within 30 miles of Backroads. One end of it has a tiny-lettered sentence about security. But the date stumped me. As I looked at that date, it was 09/22/19, 9:15 AM! What in the NOT-HEAVEN? Was Blue Truck Man a time-traveler? How could he give me a check from the future?

Also, the front of the check declared that the back of the check held a reflective watermark that would be noticed by tilting the check under a light. I tilted that check seven ways to Sunday, and did not find a watermark! Sure, there was the bank's website scattered diagonally across the back, in orange ink. A couple of them had one end of the lettering that looked yellow. I don't know if that's what you call reflective.

AND, the top of the check, where you would tear along a perforation from the full page of the cashier's check specifics... did not look at all perforated! More like when you fold a piece of paper back and forth, then tear along the weakened crease.

I got on the phone to Hick, who said he was sure the check was fine.

"Val. I'm sure it's good. I have no reason to think that guy would give us a bad check. He probably got it on Saturday, and the bank printed the next business day as the date of the check. I have several calls to and from him on my cell phone. There's a camera on the front of the storage units that will show his license plates, and him taking the camper. You're worried for nothing."

I hope this is one time that Hick is right! I agree that I'm overly suspicious. It didn't help that only the day before, while waiting in line at The Gas Station Chicken Store, I saw that they'd posted a picture of a man at the counter with one word under it: FAKE! Seems like he passed a bad $10 bill. The Gas Station Chicken Store don't play!

Anyhoo... it's not the same guy. The Blue Truck Man seemed perfectly honest when he came over to T-Hoe and spoke to me. Not nervous or shifty or in a hurry for us to leave, or for him to haul that camper out of there.

One thing's for sure. My bank is going to give me a hard time when I deposit that check. I smell a 10-day hold in my future.