A Christmas Morning Ghost

So...  as fate would have it, Pfeiffer's ghost reappeared on Christmas morning in my house...

Mrs. R mentioned a rug that she thinks we ought to sell and I realized that it was one of many gifts that Steve bestowed on us.  (I believe this particular one is worth about 5k.)  One thing I didn't say in the previous post was that Pfeiffer was one of the most generous, stand-up, and funny guys you'd ever meet.

Lots of people say they'll do anything for a friend.  You hear it all the time.  "Oh, he'd do anything for a friend." or "There's nothing he wouldn't do for a friend in need." or "He was the one person I'd ask and know the answer before I asked."  But...  there's the generic 'anything' and the real renegade bandito outlaw version of 'ANYTHING'.

So, when the thought of selling the rug came around, I looked on the wall of our living room at the Erte 'S' and 'R' lithos that hang there (also Pfeiffer gifts), and thought about the Presidential Gold Rolex in a safe deposit box (inscribed 'On Time' on the back) that he gifted after a particularly important and cash delivery (avoiding negative consequences from some angry Colombians).  In the business, there are lots of different types of connections.  Some are cool and understanding.  If something goes wrong, they'll either chalk it up as a business expense (if they trust you or the evidence you present), or front more material to help you get back on your feet.  And some are not so understanding.  The Colombians are almost always in that category.  Once you take the stuff, you are paying for it.  And they don't care what happens, whether someone gets popped, or the stuff is unsellable or the market collapses or if the sky falls.  You are paying.  And they don't care if you have to rob a bank to do it.  The penalty for not paying is serious. Death is a possibility and you aren't the only possible victim.   So Steve was extremely grateful when my guy from Idaho showed up with the dough for some particularly lousy product.  He flew us around in a Lear that day to pick up the dough and you could see the relief on his face when he realized he wasn't going to have to face these guys empty-handed.

He was generous in a dramatic sense and wouldn't blink at gifting things of great value.  In the years I knew Steve, he lived life like a roller coaster.  He'd accumulate a quarter million and be broke six months later.  It happened lots of times.  Either he'd snort it, shoot it, spend it, get busted and have it seized or find a totally new way to diminish the pile.  Gifting was almost like saving to him because gifts don't go away.

And, when the time came in 1989 that some very dangerous things needed doing, and there was almost nobody willing to take the risks, I asked Pfeiffer to step up and he never hesitated.  I'm grateful to this day because his bravery (or madness if you see it that way) gave me the ability to avoid a really long stretch.

So...  we still might sell the rug but there's no way I won't shed a tear when it happens.