Togo Goes to the Lake
It is definitely Spring, and I wanted to go to the lake. I knew Daddy would tell me that it is still too early. It’s April and really windy and he will talk on and on about wind chill and barometric pressure. He’s just making stuff up. So, I wait for my opening.
It’s really just a matter of negotiation. Daddy thinks he’s good at it. I play along with the game. He thinks he wins.
Here’s how it works. Since I only want to go to the little lake close to our house, I open with, “Let’s go to the beach in Cancun!”
That’s my “open high” move. I know Daddy will say “no.” He begins talking about sunburn and sand in his sandals and something called Montezuma’s Revenge . . . So then I ask him where we can go. And Daddy will go to his “open low” move. He says, “Why don’t I just get my lawn chair and sit beside the flowerbed? You can dig around in there and pretend it’s sand.”
That’s a counteroffer. And since I can do that whenever I want, I say, “How about a mountain lake?”
Daddy pauses and looks thoughtfully at the sky like he’s considering it. That’s another negotiation tactic. When Daddy taught negotiation classes, he called this the “dance.” I’ve negotiated with Daddy for years, and I know he can be pretty sly. But he’s not in my league. I’ll be able to get exactly what I want with one more step in his little dance.
Really, it’s just a half-step, because I make yet another offer before he has a chance to counter. I blurt out, “Could we at least go to the little lake a few blocks from here?”
Daddy smiles his funny little smile when I do that. He thinks I am “bidding against myself.” Daddy honestly believes that he is in control of this negotiation. And he is so pleased with his negotiation skills that he immediately says “yes.” And here we are. Right where I wanted to be.
While we’re here, we do several of my favorite things. First, since Daddy insisted that we walk here, I stopped at the first sandy spot and took a nap. It was just like being home in one of my comfy flowerbeds. But with a view of the lake.
Once rested, I made Daddy walk around the lake with me a couple of times. I acted disappointed about not seeing any ducks, geese, or cranes to bark at. Really, I don’t see much to be gained in ruining a bird’s day so I wasn’t all that disappointed. But Daddy felt so bad he offered to walk me around the shoreline one more time.
By that time, Daddy was out of breath and open to any suggestion that included sitting down to rest. And that’s how I got to do what I really wanted to do at the lake. Stretch out on a patch of green grass, soak up some rays, and dream about future trips to be negotiated.
You see, when it comes to negotiation, Daddy is no match for me.