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If you ever go to the Margate Flea Market you will meet a vendor there who used to be very wealthy....for a very short time until he got scammed out of his fortune. His name is Larry and his parents owned a chain of hardware stores in the NY area. After they passed away, Larry inherited the hardware stores which he promptly sold. Newly rich, Larry promptly ditched his wife and went on a cruise with his girlfriend. While on the cruise, Larry met a Canadian "stockbroker" at the gambling tables who immediately noted Larry as an easy mark which he was. The Canadian "stockbroker" soon sold Larry a fortune in penny stocks in Canadian goldmines which quickly became worthless. The broke Larry was forced to become a vendor at the Margate flea market.

This is where my friend Ken comes into the picture. One day Ken was walking down the aisles when he heard a voice. Ken stopped and listened again. He heard the voice: "Kill me!" Ken still couldn't find out who was saying this until he noticed a vendor on the ground with his head next to the front wheel of the car. It was Larry.

"Kill me!" Larry repeated. "I can't take it anymore." I guess it all hit Larry at once that he was once rich and quickly got scammed out of his fortune.

Then Larry reached into his pocket and held the keys up to Ken. "Please drive this car over my head. It would be merciful. I'll even give you the title to my car so you can keep it after you run over me. Just, please, end it for me."

Of course, my friend Ken couldn't go through with it so he asked Larry to have some breakfast with him and talk about why he wanted to leave this life. So Larry had breakfast with Ken and told him the story above. I later met Larry through Ken since Larry was interested having me teach him how to sell stuff on eBay. What a mental case! When I entered Larry's home it looked like the interior walls were decorated by Charles Manson with bizarre words drawn in black magic marker. (Also the grass on his lawn was about two feet high). I need to write a whole story about my encounters with Larry because what you have read here is just the beginning. All I'll say for now is that while I was showing Larry how do sell on eBay, he served me up a dinner that was so horrible that I couldn't even be polite about it. I just tossed his plate against the wall. (And since his wall was already covered with strange markings it wasn't as impolite as it sounds.)

p.s. If you want to spot Larry at Margate Flea Market just look for a guy who looks and sounds like an adenoidal tortoise. Trust me. That description fits him PERFECTLY.

That's a very sad story. How much do you think he blew? 5 million or so?

I haven't been to that flea mkt. for two years. What's the best day to go there? I remember a Cambodian family that was selling all kinds of tropical fruit, papaya etc. they grew in their backyard. The smoked fish/ deli across the street is fantastic. Lox Haven-- the smoked fish capital of the world.

Margate...

I used to live in Tamarac and Lauderhill.

-PJ