Our Autumn Fire

Nineteen

    The non-profit executive stated matter-of-factly that he had sent a check two days ago.

    “The one I mentioned when we began this conversation?”

    “Exactly! So why isn’t it on the invoice?”

    Elliot sighed and rubbed his temples to keep himself calm. “That invoice was sent to you weeks ago. It wouldn’t reflect anything that you just did.”

    “So I still need to pay this? That’s more than double what we agreed on!”

    Elliot could not believe what he was hearing, but at this point any amount of idiocy could be possible. “You don’t need to pay all that again. Just subtract how much you already sent the check for, and pay the rest.”

    “Oh!” He held the syllable long enough to fully process what Elliot had meant. “So I just send you a check for the late fees now. Because I already paid the rest. Okay. Got it.”

    “Yeah, that’s it.” Elliot let the air he had been holding in his lungs come out. The nightmare was finally going to end. He leaned back for a split second before shooting back up to clarify, “Don’t cancel the check you already sent. It’s the one I’m holding right now, and the extra fees you’re sending me.”

    “Okay. Got it.” He scrawled something down on a piece of paper.

    “Well, that’s all I called for. I appreciate your business. Take care.” Elliot went to shut off the call, but a voice shouted from the other end.

    “Hey, Quentin!” William  was frantically trying to get Elliot’s attention with repeated shouts.

    “Hello?”

    “Ah, Quentin.” His voice returned to its natural musical inflections. “Since I’ve got you on the line do you think you’d be up for another job?”

    “Another job?” Elliot was hesitant to even consider working with him again, but the promise of an income kept him on the phone.

    “Yes, another job. I need a website up and running before my ad comes out.”

    The job seemed simple enough to Elliot, but he remained silent wondering whether or not he should decline.

    “I can pay you triple the rate of the last job!” William added.

    “Triple? Like three times as much?” Elliot released an incredulous gasp.

    “Yes, triple.” William responded calmly. “But the job is smaller so it would be prorated to account for that.”

    Elliot agreed that flatly tripling the final invoice of the last job would be a bad idea, but being paid triple the rate on a smaller job was still more money than he had ever been offered before - if he ever got the payment, that is. “Alright, but I’m going to need a thirty percent advance fee. If you’re okay with that, I can take the job.”

    William was quiet for a moment, but he soon assented. “Okay. Got it. Thirty percent in advance if you can do the job in time.”

    Elliot knew that meant a tight deadline, but for the money he was willing to put in the time. “So when do you need the site?”

    “Three weeks from tomorrow.”

    Elliot released a sigh of relief. Knowing William, he had expected having to complete the assignment in a few days. “No problem. I can get something up for you by then, and we can worry abou refining it after if we need to. What’s the domain name you’re using?”