My favourite gift shop²⁸

I buy such simple things at the gift shop, but they are so expensive. On that day, the magazine, newspaper and two pieces of candy came to $10.59. When the man said, “$10.59,” I said, “Stop, stop! I do not have that much. I have only $10.”

The Pakistani man said, “Do not worry. Every day you come.”

On another day I was going to buy three ties for Gorbachev. The three ties, plus candy and newspapers had come to a little over $40. I only had $40 with me, so I decided to buy only one tie and the other things. Then it came to only $20.

I said to the Pakistani man, “The other day when I did not have enough money, you did not give me a discount. So I had to return something.”

He said, “What could I do? That fat lady Louise, was here.” He himself is very fat.

I said, “That lady is so thin!”

He told me, “She calls me fat, so I also call her fat.”

Then he said, “You come from India and I come from Pakistan, and we are friends. But if you had been living in India and I had been living in Pakistan, no good!”

I said, “So many times we have had wonderful conversations. Here there is no India or Pakistan. Here in America we are one.”

Then I told him, “Tomorrow I am not going to come. I will be in Canada.”

He said, “Do not worry about the 59 cents!”