Negotiating a Bill of Exchange
The big bank downtown would neither cash the check for $ 115,000 nor open an account with it. I removed part of the attached documentation that was confusing and returned to work thinking to take it the branch across the street. I forgot about it until noon and took it to a seated assistant-manager with nearly platinum blonde hair. She was not svelte nor displeasing but very business-like. At first she was abrupt, claiming it was too late in the day to process such an amount but she would try. I came back at 1:30 and her attitude was much better; less harried, even friendly. I had military ID, a driver’s licence and passport and thought there should be no problem with the liquidity of the deposit as it was a cashier’s check from a major institution. Seated in her cubical as she reviewed her information on the computer she called me “Wendel.” I was puzzled. Wasn’t the check made out to me? If not, what excuse could I make to leave, and how would I be able to create the necessary phony identification? After a brief pause I told her I wasn’t Wendel and watched as she further reviewed the record.