Fresh Lemonade – 75 cents

That was what we saw as we wound down the curvy mountain road. A sandy haired boy, probably 7 or 8, was standing beside the road, waving the sign. I turned to Emily. She smiled and pulled over. I rolled down the window as she slowed down and rolled into the small side road. “We’d like two, please,” I said to the boy, probably the sign holder’s brother, manning the table stocked with pots of lemonade, ladles, and bright red plastic cups. Emily turned the car around then stopped. Through the window, I handed the boy a dollar bill and two quarters. He slid the money into a tattered envelope. “That’s two, right?” “Yes,” I called to him. He walked back to the car and said, “Well, there’s a bonus, just today, you get two free cookies with your lemonades,” and he placed two Oreos into my hand. I handed one to Emily and smiled. “Thank you very much, sir.” He carefully ladled the icy lemonade into the plastic cups, adding a lemon slice to each cup before handing them to us. “You ladies enjoy your day.”

As we pulled away, I pondered the value of this exchange. Fresh lemonade. Good presentation. Excellent customer service. Reasonable price. Bonus cookie. Supporting local business. The epitome of win win.