Deceptive appearances.
(PHOTO: Hustler, Essaouira, Morocco)
In spite of his tourist-ready ‘rastafari’ appearance, this ‘Souira shopkeeper turned out to be only half as one love-oriented as he wanted everyone to believe.
My mother, petite and generous with strangers, caught a glance at a pretty tunic in his storefront window. After encouraging her to try it on in the back (“If you like it, buy it. If not, don’t worry. We’ll be best friends forever.”), she realized it was sewn haphazardly and didn’t quite fit.
Hoping not to offend the man, she calmly explained, “It’s beautiful work. You should be very proud. I’m just not ready to make a purchase today.”
“Then why’d you come into my shop?” he said flatly, his tourist smile quickly disappearing.
“Well, you seemed very nice, and I was sincerely interested … it, well, just didn’t fit perfectly.”
“Stop wasting my time. You don’t want to pay? Go out of my shop now!”
