The Fink

Hillel Levine had known David Kavitz since childhood. They had been friends for a long time but Hillel sometimes thought that it wasn't a very mutually beneficial situation. Hillel was always trying to involve David in positive situations, but David didn't act the same way. Hillel was a lawyer who specialized in Real Estate and Corporate Commercial work. David was the Chief Executive Officer of his family's hedge fund.

There was an incident that happened five years earlier that still bugged Hillel. It had to do with a stock deal. David was an early supporter and investor in a company that created a new gadget. It would revolutionize life in the kitchen. It was a device that used a laser to open cans but was safe to the human touch. It had never been seen before for home use. The other applications for the laser technology was very exciting. David had looked for investors to get the manufacturing process started and he talked to family and friends but didn't say a word to Hillel. In return for putting in ten thousand dollars, the investors were promised a four percent stake in the company. Ten guys had invested and the hundred thousand dollar stake started the ''Kitchen Laser'' roll out.

The Kitchen Laser became the hottest commodity on the market and within six months it was bought out by a multinational that had a listing on the New York Stock exchange. The stock soared and within the year the ten thousand dollar investment was worth close to five hundred thousand dollars. All the people who David had invited to invest were delighted and couple of them asked Hillel why he hadn't thrown some money in. He had no answer, he didn't want to tell them that his buddy David had ignored him.

Hillel was very close with his Uncle Joe. His parents had passed and Hillel needed someone to talk to, so he went for a visit. Upon hearing the story of David and the Kitchen Laser, his Uncle Joe told Hillel that his friend David in his opinion was a first-class Fink. Hillel didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was the truth. What would it have hurt David to ask him if he wanted to be part of the investor team? It made no sense, friends didn't do that to friends.

Hillel stayed away from David for five years after the stock event until David called. They met for lunch at Aish Tanoor and David apologized for excluding him from the Laser deal. He claimed that he thought it was overly speculative and he didn't want Hillel to be at risk. Hillel knew it was a pile of hooey, but David was trying to reconcile so he accepted his lame excuse.

At the lunch, David told Hillel he had a great friend named William, and he and Will were investing in an electric battery plant. The battery company, Electric United Battery, was working to get a Government contract and if they succeeded they would do a reverse takeover and get on the stock market. The stock would soar higher than the Kitchen Laser. David was going to introduce Hillel to Will and then he could decide if he wanted to participate by putting money into the company. David figured that twenty thousand would give him a nice position and would set him up for a great return.

The first meeting with Will was scheduled for a Tuesday morning at ten thirty. At nine thirty Hillel got an email from David. It was an apology. The meeting would have to be moved to the following week.

The following week, David told Hillel that Will wasn't feeling very well and as much as he hated the idea, they would have to postpone the meeting once again.

This situation kept happening until Hillel read an article on the Forbes magazine digital platform that Electric United Batteries(the company David and Will had invested in) had done a reverse take over on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the stock price was soaring. The company that had been taken over by Electric United Battery had a stock price of one dollar and twenty cents, after the takeover it was announced that it was now trading at sixty-five dollars a share. The market valuation was six hundred million dollars. Once again, Hillel had been left standing on the platform as the train had pulled out and away.