Characters:
Frank – Seller, late 60s, seasoned owner of a large plumbing company
Evan – Buyer, early 40s, sharp, observant, cautious
Scene: Late afternoon in a large yard behind the company shop. Rows of service vans and trucks are parked. Frank and Evan walk side by side.
______________________________________________________________________
Frank (gesturing proudly): This is the backbone right here. Twenty-three vehicles total—fully outfitted. Most of them rotated in the last five years.
Evan (nodding, taking notes on his phone): They look well maintained. Service logs all included?
Frank: Every oil change, every repair. We stayed on top of it.
(They continue walking. Evan slows as they approach a newer, clean truck parked slightly apart.)
Evan: That one’s in great shape.
(checks his list)
I don’t see it on the inventory sheet.
Frank (glances at it briefly): Yeah—that one’s not part of the sale. I’m keeping that for myself.
Evan (looks up): Keeping it?
Frank: Just for personal use. You know… errands, getting around.
Evan (studies the truck more closely): Was it used in the business?
Frank (casual tone): Oh sure, but nothing major. Just my run-around truck. I’d take it to job sites, bring supplies if something was missing, check in on crews… that kind of thing.
Evan: So… more of an oversight vehicle?
Frank: Exactly.
(Evan walks around the truck, peering into the bed. It’s stocked with tools, fittings, and equipment.)
Evan: There’s quite a bit in here.
Frank (shrugs): Yeah, I kept it stocked. Made things easier instead of pulling from the vans.
Evan: Are those tools included in the sale?
Frank (shakes head): No, I’m keeping those too. Goes with the truck.
(A pause. Evan straightens up slowly.)
Evan: So the vehicle you used to move between job sites…
(gestures to the truck)
…handle gaps, bring supplies, check crews—
that’s not transferring with the company?
Frank (slightly firmer): No. You’ve got everything you need with the rest of the fleet.
Evan (measured tone): Maybe.
(beat)
But that sounds like more than just a “personal” truck.
Frank (a hint of defensiveness): Look, every owner has their own way of operating. You’ll have yours.
Evan: Sure.
(pauses, then carefully)
But it sounds like this truck played a pretty central role in how you ran things day to day.
(Frank doesn’t respond immediately.)
Evan (continuing): Filling gaps. Solving problems on the fly. Being present on-site.
Frank (shortly): That’s just experience. You can’t put that in a purchase agreement.
Evan (nods slowly, but his expression shifts): No… but sometimes you can see where it lives.
(He glances again at the truck.)
Evan: Help me understand something—
if you’re stepping away… why keep the one piece that kept you so connected to everything?
(Frank crosses his arms, looking at the truck instead of Evan.)
Frank: I’m not planning to just sit in a chair all day.
Evan: So you’ll still be… around?
Frank (quickly): Not in the business. Just… around.
(Silence hangs between them.)
Evan (quietly, more to himself than to Frank): That’s the part I need to be clear on.
(Frank finally looks at him.)
Frank: You’re buying the company. Not me.
Evan (meets his gaze): Right.
(beat)
I just need to be sure the company can stand without you driving that truck into every problem.
(Another long pause. The confidence from earlier has thinned.)
Evan (exhales slightly): Because if that truck represents how things actually get done…
(shakes his head faintly)
then I need to rethink what exactly I’m buying.
(Frank says nothing. The hum of distant traffic fills the silence.)
Fade out.