a goose, friend. i was chasing a wild goose. ed, have you ever heard of venture capital?
well, it's the wildest goose there is. risk money. very speculative. except, ed, in certain situations, it's not, see? i thought i had a prospect here. well, i make the haul up and this lousy so-and-so tells me his situation has changed--all his capital's gonna be tied up in expansion plans of his own. thank you, mother! pop goes another bubble! it's only the biggest business opportunity since henry ford and i can't seem to interest a soul!
it's called dry cleaning. you heard me right, brother, 'dry cleaning'-- wash without water, no suds, no tumble, no stress on the clothes. it's all done with chemicals, friend, and your garments end up crisp and fresh. and here's the capper: no shrinkage.
that's right! dry cleaning--remember the name. it's going to revolutionize the laundry industry, and those that get in early are gonna bear the fruit away. all i need is $10,000 to open my first store, then i use its cash flow to finance another, and so on-- leap frog, bootstrap myself a whole chain. well, me and a partner. cleanliness, friend. there's money in it. there's a future. there's room to grow.  say, that's looking pretty good. let's see it with the hairpiece on.
ok.  yeah. i'll see you tomorrow.
oh, i thought you were the porter.  can i help you?
sorry, friend, i, uh, you got me at a disadvantage.
jesus! the barber! i'll be a sonofagun. why didn't you say so? 'course--the barber.
i didn't recognize you without the smock. did i--damn--did i leave something at the shop?
you got the dough?!
come in, come in, siddown over there. coffee?
sure.
do? hell, nothing. well, you'll want to keep tabs on your investment, of course, but i'm looking for a silent partner. i've done the research, i've contacted the vendors, the deal is set. i'm just looking for venture capital, friend. disappear if you want, check in whenever you like--i want the dough; i don't take attendance.
fifty-fifty, straight down the line. you and me. finance and expertise. so--you've got the dough then, do ya?
well, i'll be damned. the barber! and i thought this trip was a bust. well.
it just goes to show, when one door slams shut, another one opens. here's to ya, uh.
maybe.
no problem!
right! strictly business.
yeah, good, how are ya, come in.
you bring a check?
cash?!
usually we do this kind of thing with a bank draft. but cash--that's fine--it's all the same in the end-- dough's dough, huh?
i got the paperwork here. partnership papers here, they reflect our agreement: fifty-fifty on the net, i supply professional services, you supply the capital. i'll give you a receipt on the dough there, huh?
pretty straightforward, but i don't know if you wanna show this stuff to a lawyer--
yeah, screw 'em, huh? pay 'em to tangle it up and then you pay 'em to untangle it, what's the point?
just a second here, i'll give you a receipt on the, uh.  whoa, nellie.  oh, by the way, we didn't talk about this, i, uh, i think i'm gonna call the place tolliver's, after me, you know, i didn't think you were much interested in, uh--
yeah, good. lemme just, uh.
yeah, that's it. as per our discussion.
well, there it is. writ large in legal escriture, next step is--
*screw* you--jesus! take it to a lawyer! no, i insist! this is *dry* cleaning, this is not some fly-by- night thing here! i must say, i've been an entrepreneur for thirteen years and i've never--
and i've never been asked--look, you want the dough back? you know who i am! you--
so, uh.  tolliver's is ok then?