Today had to be one of the strangest days that I've had yet here at college. It all started shortly after church. The first thing that you need know is that every Sunday me and my friend Dave listen to Chinese music on the way to and from church. And this is no ordinary Chinese music. No, no this is none other than the amazing S.H.E, the Taiwanese version of the Spice Girls. Dave and me have taken the laborious task upon ourself to expose the U.S. to the wonders of S.H.E. Anyway, after church we went to eat in at a pretty well known Mexican restaurant in town. As we were leaving to pay the bill, I stopped for a second to listen to the music in the restaurant, thinking I heard a familiar tune. Sure enough, it was none other than Don't Say Sorry by S.H.E. At first I was excited just to find that someone else besides us two listened to them, but as I thought about it I realized something. Why were they playing Chinese music at a Mexican restaurant? I suppose that Dave and me are doing a pretty good job, at least, that's the only explanation that I can give.
After we had finished eating we decided to hit up the local Wal-Mart for some much needed poptarts (Dave) and granola bars/apples (me). As we were walking in the store, an elderly Chinese man stopped us. He mentioned, as he pulled out a wad of cash, that he would give me $20 if I did something for him. I immediately thought, "Oh great, I'm about to be involved in some kind of drug deal". But no, I was wrong. The man said that he wanted to play a game. I didn't know what kind of game that elderly Chinese men are willing to pay somebody $20 for, but I had a hunch that I probably didn't want to play. The man said that it was called 'the hand game'. The object of the game is to on the count of three, either pull or push your oponent's hand causing him to lose his balance and move his foot. If I won, the man said that he would pay me $20. However, he avoided my questions regarding what would happen if I lost. I made it clear that I wasn't going to pay him $20 if he won, and figured that if he did happen to beat me and demanded payment, that I would probably be able to outrun him.
So, I played the game. As the man took hold of my hand, a million thoughts were going through my mind, most of them involving how this man was probably about to play some cruel practical joke on me and throw me to the ground like some sort of ninja. (You would have thought this too if an elderly Asian man had just grabbed your hand laughing the entire time.) The man counted to three, and with a slight twinge of guilt, I yanked the old man behind me. However, he said that I cheated (of course), and that my foot had moved when I yanked him. So, we played again. This time, deciding to show the old man who's a cheater, I decided to push, although now that I think about it, I would've felt really bad if I had pushed an old man onto the ground. Sadly, as I pushed, the man pulled, and I lost my balance and moved my foot. The old man thought this was hilarious and began asking me "What happened? What happened? Your foot went like this! (as he points to his feet and acts like a ballerina)."
I laughed as well, mainly because Dave was cracking up, and told the man that I thought he cheated on the first round. The man laughed and let me go. Then as we walked away I began to wonder where that had come from. Is this some kind of game that old people like to play just for kicks? I still had my wallet, I hadn't been thrown to the ground/mugged, and I hadn't been swindled out of any money. I guess he just likes challenging people to a epic round of the hand game. I don't know what exactly his intentions were, but what I do know is this. Next time, I'm gonna win.
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