I was really holding on tightly to my purse just now..lest I make purchases of wants rather than needs.. I went into the Nike store and my resolve was almost immediately thrown out the tiny window of wants by this pair of b-e-a-yutiful fuchsia running sneakers.
"You just bought Ms. Boombastic Blue last month!" I scolded myself, or so I thought..because it sounded more of a consoling tone rather than a reprimand. Smiling at Ms Fun Fuchsia, I left her at her pedestal and went round the store, browsing at other probable items. My purse safely untouched, my feet automatically brought me to Roxy Quiksilver next door.
"Hallo miss. This one here buy two free 1. This one buy 2 1 hundred." said the passable good looking lad with the slightly crooked front teeth as he quickly spread his left and right hands by way of pointing over the shirts. He was quite stingy with the smiles. Do I unnerve him with my guise? I was wearing an orange Roxy top, black knee-length pants, my Roxy flip-flops and a red hat. With my handbag slung sideways over one shoulder with the bag sitting snugly on my behind, I knew many would think me as either a Japanese or Korean tourist. I knew he thought so too, which could be the reason why he spoke to me in that version he imagines to be Orang Puteh talk.
"Oh yea?" was just my response to him. I wanted some. By golly I wanted all but of course one can't have the wants over needs all the time. I was smiling slightly, just to show him I meant no linguistic harm, as I let my fingers do the talking, perusing through the multi-colored shirts.
A few minutes later I held out two Roxy Girl shirts (an info which gnawed on my conscience. Girl? I am hardly that)- a white shirt with a whimsy Roxy emblem on the front, and an orange shirt with a couple of Roxy lettering on the front. I thought of just buying these without trying when Mr. Salesboy said," Want to tried?"
A bane or a boon? A boon, being in the profession of language teaching, being able to distinguish sounds and having to correct them when spoken incorrectly - in class. A bane, having this ability, and having to hear mangled sentences then in that store, and not able to correct it. Mind you, I am not a stuck-up, high and mighty, oh I am the greatest in the universe English speaker. It's just a habit I guess, making correction. I am not so silly as to make grammar correction to everyone who mangles and strangles the Queen's English. And I did understand what Mr. Salesboy meant. So I said, "Ok".
Long story shortened, I didn't get to the counter to make any payments, thank goodness. Guess I overcame my impulses today. Arigatogozaimasu.
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