A Mystifying Development in the Case of Rumpushole vs Rumpushole (1)

Hick left home Thursday morning with plans to work on Bargain House, pay some bills in person for assorted insurances, and work in his SUS2.5 (Storage Unit Store 2.5). Then he was going to that variance meeting at 6:00, about the guy who is using HIS LAND as a driveway for his business. The city building inspector had returned Hick's call on Wednesday, and confirmed that he did indeed have a right to make a statement at the variance meeting.

I cautioned Hick not to be too much of a rumpushole, and get arrested. "I don't know how to bail you out. So don't get carried away and locked up."

Hick assured me that he wouldn't.

"You know that guy is going to be fuming. And he'll deny that he told you to go eff yourself when you offered to sell him YOUR LAND."

"I don't care. I want it on record that he's using MY LAND, and I'm still paying the taxes."

"Just say that you know the city probably can't resolve YOUR problem, but that you think it isn't fair that this guy is making money with a business that is using the property of other people, giving them no compensation. That should sound reasonable. And it's the facts."

"I won't get in no trouble. That guy probably ain't even gonna show up."

"I bet he will! You showed up for your variance hearing. Not that it did any good."

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Anyhoo... Thursday at 4:20, I got a call from Hick that changed everything!

"I just got a call from Business Guy's son. Sonny said that Business Guy won't be at the variance meeting, because he's in Florida. And that Sonny told him HE can't go either. Sonny said, 'I'm just the middle man. Dad said to call you. The secretary at the city called us about the variance meeting, and said you were going to be there. And she said you would probably be open to selling your property.'

I told Sonny, yeah, that I had offered to sell it to his dad, and he basically told me I was crazy, that wasn't happening, and I could go eff myself.

Sonny said, 'Dad's not a bad guy. You two just got on the wrong side of each other. He talked to a lawyer about it to see what rights he had. I told him, Dad, why not just buy it and be done with it? Because we could spend a lot more money on a lawyer fighting it. So he said for me to talk to you and see what you want.'

I said that I originally asked for $1200-$1500. I've gotta get back the taxes I paid on it for 35 years, and what I paid for it. And I think it's fair if I make a few hundred dollars profit. That's what people do when they invest in land. I told Sonny that I'd take $1200. I ain't tryin' to cheat anybody.

Sonny said that if I'd agree not to object to the variance, and give him a quit-claim deed next week, they'll pay me $1200 for MY LAND. I said that's a deal. As long as he sent me a text stating to those conditions, so I had proof of the agreement."

TO BE CONTINUED...