I read somewhere that a large bank is eliminating tellers on Saturdays. The next obvious step is tellers only on Mondays and Fridays. Before long, the bank manager will disappear and with him or her the ability to share a cup of coffee and work out a deal. I have no patience for things that do not bend. Machines do not bend.
Trees do, and that's how they remain tall in the foulest of weather.
Had I given up after the first rejection, I would not have the loan today. My case in point. Those of you who've been following the chronicle of my tribulations in this column may recall that one day, when I was feeling supremely fed up with loan rejections, I fired off a heartfelt letter to the bank president telling him that all the bank's ads about serving the small-business owner were hogwash if someone like me couldn't get a line of credit. Miraculously, it worked. The bank reopened my loan application.