This is for @mariannewest and @improv's Freewrite Day 259. The theme for today is sell-out. I'm out of practice, so I'm easing my way back in. This one's more traditional than my previous freewrite, and is a spiritual successor to my other previous freewrites. Enjoy!

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"Hello there!" the well-groomed man in the nice suit greeted. He was all smiles as he blocked Kara's path toward the exit of the supermarket. "Are you, by chance, interested in availing of an out?"

"A what now?" Kara inquired, puzzled.

"An out," the salesman reiterated with more emphasis. "Our company, C.S. Leavers, was hailed the best market leader for outs last year. Our prices are by far—"

"Wait a minute, hold up," Kara interrupted. "What the heck is an out?"

"Oh, right. I'm glad you asked! Basically, we provide a guaranteed way of escaping from a problem or dilemma, for a very low annual fee. But wait, there's more! If you pay for your first year straight cash, you get 10% cashback, credited after three months, and a chance to slash 50% off the next year! It's currently our best—"

"Could I buy an out for this conversation?"

"Certainly! We have an extensive coverage—"

"Yeah, no," Kara interrupted once again. Her frozen meats are beginning to thaw, and she was quickly running out of patience. "I meant, just for this situation. Surely a one-time use wouldn't incur a fee, right?"

"That would be subject to the discretion of our Assessment Department," the man continued to pester, completely unaware of how his potential client was feeling. "Don't worry though, I'll put a good word in for you, and you might even be able to avail of—"

"Oh, huh," Kara sighed, as she examined the salesman. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"You know, I often get that." The man flashed a confident grin. "I must have that face."

"No, no, no. I do... I—"

"You know, you look like a lady that doesn't need tons of outs. Am I right to say that? Here, I have a pamphlet here that details our—"

Kara bit her lip and scratched her head. Her brows furrowed while she was trying to remember how she knew the man. She tigthened her grip on her cart and let out an audible sigh.

"Marco... I wanna say Ludovic? Leibnitz? Wait, no! Lieberman! Marco Lieberman!"

"Huh? How did you—"

"Ah! I thought you were familiar! Ha!"

"I'm sorry I... I can't seem to recall your name. I'm not that good with faces, y'know? I hope you understand. I—"

"It's alright. It's me, Kara Burset. We had tons of classes back in college. How are you?"

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry! College was... y'know. College felt like a blur to me. I... I haven't been in touch with anybody since then."

"You were one of the most gifted problemologists I ever encountered. By far the most innovative. I remember your stance on door-to-door salespeople and how they contribute to the rot of society. Easily a classic! People were touting you as the preeminent scholar in the field. W-What happened? I hope you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all. I-I... I just fell on hard times, s'all. Gotta make a living somehow, and this was what came along."

"Have you ever considered a career shift to selling irony?"

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Well this is embarassing. I ran out of time once again! I was blitzing up until the "no, no, no" part, then everything came apart at the seams. Gah! I had envisioned a story where a person selling "out" was labelled a "sell-out" because his previous advocacy was the complete opposite of what he ended up doing in the present. I wanted to play around with it, much like what I did with a previous freewrite. Alas, I ran out of juice in the middle of it. Oh well.. It is what it is. As you can see, my freewrites are few and far in between. While I'm trying to change that, life and work-related commitments often get in the way. Perhaps I'll be back in time for Day 300! One could hope...

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