Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" forever and incorrectly portrayed a simplistic view of what a salesperson does. Willy Loman rode on a pair of shined shoes and a smile; today's sales representative rides on an airplane with a laptop and a Palm Pilot at his or her fingertips. These company and independent representatives enjoy a good life when times are good. But when times are tough, life becomes a lot more difficult when you have a mortgage to pay and a family to feed. As with any profession, there are good times and bad, and along the "road" there are some interesting and humorous experiences. This is one of them. The central figure of this tale is a representative of a well-known jewelry firm who was headed to the West Coast for an important appointment. In such a situation, O'Shaughnessy's Corollary to Murphy's Law applies—that is, "Murphy was an optimist." The scene