The Tamil bookstore32
I bought quite a few Indian books in a Tamil bookstore in Kuala Lumpur. The bill came to 57 Malaysian dollars. They told me there was a $5 discount, so it became $52.I said, “Can you not give it to me for $50?”
One manager and two assistants were there. The manager said, “Already we have given you a discount. We will not go any lower.” She was showing off, and then she went away.
The two assistants were very sad that I was not going to buy the books. They were speaking together in Tamil.
As soon as she left, I took $50 out of my wallet and gave it to them. In Tamil I said, “It is sufficient.”
O God, the manager overheard me speaking Tamil. She practically came running over and grabbed the bill from her assistant. She smiled at me and said, “You speak Tamil?”
I said, “For twenty years I lived in South India!”
Then she gave me the books for $50.
LS 205. January 1989↩
Sri Chinmoy, I love shopping, part 5, Agni Press, 1994
