Sunday, November 30, 2014

248 Quiz Answer

 
Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a kind and generous merchant who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins.
Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "U" is for "Universal")
I wrote the following compact little scenelet, thinking it might remind you of a well-known play.  Which play?

“Look, speaking as your accountant, you shouldn’t be making financial decisions without me.  Now, is this true?  You loaned a man enough money to get married and buy a house?  How much did you give him?”

“Well, it was a substantial amount.  But he’s my best friend.  I was glad to be able to help out.”

“Again, how much did you give him?”

“You don’t understand.  I didn’t give him anything.  He’s taking out a loan and I just signed a paper that I’d guarantee that the loan is paid back on time.”

“You guaranteed his loan?  You do realize you’re just about broke?  And the loan is for how much?”

“Six hundred.”

“Ouch.  I know you’re not talking six hundred dollars.  If there’s real estate involved you must mean six hundred big ones, six hundred thousand.”

“Yes, but there’s no risk involved.  I don’t have the money right now, but if there’s any problem I’ll soon have enough coming in that will more than cover that amount.” 

“God, the way you handle finance.  Look, there’s a basic rule in Accounting 101: don’t guarantee anybody you’ll pay thousands of bucks at a time when you don’t have two nickels to rub together.”

“I know all that.  But if you’ve got collateral…”

“Oh, collateral.  That’s different.  What is the collateral?”

“You remember Universal Shipping?”

“Universal..?”

“That shipping company that was neglected and in a state of collapse a couple of years ago so I bought it for peanuts.  You thought it was a foolish move.”

“Ah yes, so is it solvent now, bringing in lots of peanuts?”

“You know something?  I think you’re jealous.  You want to be the know-it-all accountant and it kills you that I’m capable of pulling off some great deals all by myself.”

“We’ll see.  But again, what is the collateral?”

“Universal Shipping – my company – has got a container ship, the ‘Universal Star,’ that is headed home and loaded with several million bucks worth of stuff.  She’s on the high seas right now and when she ties up in port it'll be a jubilant moment because I’d be able to easily pay off that loan a few times over.”

“The ‘Universal Star’?  Isn’t that the ship the Somali pirates have taken over?  Just heard it on the news.”

“What!?  The Somali..?”

“Pirates.  Maybe they like peanuts.  But if the ship doesn’t make it here, what will you do about that loan guarantee?”

(The answer will be posted Saturday.) 

24 comments:

Altonian said...

"Neither a lender nor a borrower be.." but that advice was given in a different play. In this case my first and only thought is: The Merchant of Venice. By the way, have you seen Al Pacino's magnificent Shylock? I'll bet you have!

naturgesetz said...

Sounds like "The Merchant of Venice."

Berowne said...

Altonian and naturgesetz have started us off with the right answer.

Helen said...

Might it be 'The Merchant of Venice' ??

Berowne said...

Welcome back, Helen, and you have the correct answer.

Gail said...

Thanks for stopping by.

Kathe W. said...

the Producers?

elaine said...

The first thing that came to mind was Glengarry Garry Ross but I guess that's nowhere near the mark.

kaykuala said...

Been off tangent for the recent past!

Hank

Truedessa said...

Ok, the only thing that comes to mind is the Merchant of Venice. I have to enjoy a story line involving pirates and the high seas. smiling...

Berowne said...

Another right answer, this time from Truedessa.

Anita Sabat said...

Don't know the answer this time.
But, gosh! Bad financial situation to be in...
Lesson learnt! :)

Trubes said...

Mr B,
I think you've got me stumped, unless, it a 'scenario from the movie called The Captain, starring Tom Hanks,
This movie was based on a true story of a container ship being boarded by Somali pirates.
I've not seen it yet so I can't quite connect with the owner of the ship and his accountant....
A shot in the dark I know !

Best wishes,
Di,
ABCW team.

Berowne said...

Close, Trubes, close, but no cigar. However, you probably don't smoke cigars anyway. :-)

Irish Gumbo said...

I know it isn't Glengarry Glen Ross, so I'm stumped!

Silent Otto said...

Sounds like a real "bottom of the harbour " scheme to me , but. eminently readable . I insured the ship and its cargo for 1.2 million , then i hired the pirates over the internet !

Unknown said...

Ooh, the irony! I'm terrible at these, but they're always fun to read. :-D
Thank you for visiting us at poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com

Meryl said...

Is it The Merchant of Venice?

humbird said...

I'm with Trubes "Captain Phillips" movie, don't know about play. ~ Thanks for commenting at my blog. x

Berowne said...

Meryl has just stepped up with the correct answer.

Sheilagh Lee said...

no idea

Shady Gardener said...

Unusual (Unique) approach to a "U" post. :-)

ChrisJ said...

I know this! I DO know this, but I'm having a senior moment! I'll be back.

ChrisJ said...

Well I didn't get back -- Life got in the way -- dr. visits, Christmas stuff etc. But it was The Merchant of Venice I was thinking of. You'll just have to trust me on that!

 
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