nabob.

[ney-bob]

noun

1. any very wealthy, influential, or powerful person.
2. Also, nawab. a person, especially a European, who has made a large fortune in India or another country of the East.

I was fortunate to be accepted back at the Outfitters to work a couple months while I was home meeting my amazing nephew, Jack. While I was folding a bright pink Patagonia t-shirt, a customer sauntered in and asked his friend, my manager, “Have you ever been to Ketchum, Idaho?” I stopped folding. Ketchum is teeny tiny and I had never heard folks talking about it. My manager said, “No.” And I interrupted, “I’m moving to Ketchum in two weeks!” The customer I’d come to know as Kevin said, “No way! You have to call my buddy, Randy. He’s like the mayor of Ketchum. Go by the saloon and he’ll help you get a job, find a place to live, and show you around!”

I was shocked. A real life Ketchum nabob! I told Kevin my name and he said he’d prepare Randy for my call. I left work that day feeling confident that I had chosen the right random quaint town.

I called and left possibly the world’s most awkward voicemail. I thanked him too much for his return call that he hadn’t made yet. And perhaps he felt bad for me, because he called a couple days later. We talked for about 45 minutes; he mentioned he could check on a job at the saloon, and I said, “That’d be awesome. I think I’d really enjoy that. I have spoken with the ski resort about working with them because they provide housing.”

He replied, “Well my neighbor across the street is moving out of her little cabin five days before you plan to arrive. I’ll chat with her.”

“Excellent! I sold all of my furniture before I went to New Zealand, so the resort was tempting because of the fancy dorm furniture.”

“Well, Beth, I make furniture. I have a table and a desk and chairs you can have. We’ll get you dialed in. No doubt about it.”

I imagine he could hear my smile across the phone as I said, “Gosh, I really appreciate all of this.”

He said, “Any friend of Kevin’s is a friend of mine!”

This cracked me up. I literally spoke to Kevin for three minutes.