Week 1 – Image Junkyard 2

            A burly restaurant owner runs out of his shop waving his hands, looking up the street then down.

            “Wait!  Wait,” he cries rushing to the group that circles around him bouncing on knees that had seen much use.

            “Is not enough,” he struggles with English while we all stare at him with gaping mouths ajar.

            “Not enough,” he repeats as he desperately tries to explain.  He scratches his head and raises his left hand as if he could catch coins from the sky.

            “Oh, no!” Choruses echo through the ancient piazza bouncing from one stone wall to the other.

            “Here, I have a fifty.”

            “So do I.”  We all rush to shove cash at him feeling embarrassed and foolish and hoping that by over paying him, we can somehow make up for the communication error.  The desire to erase, erase the incident causes more confusion.

            “Oh, no.  He meant 12 euro a piece, not twelve total,” someone says.

            “He said 12 for one.”

            “Yeah, that means twelve a piece.”

            Laughter mixed with empathy and the desire to make it right infects the group as money is produced and exchanged. The proprietor ends up with too much and shoves a five back at the crowd. 

            “Too much.  Too much.”

            “Here, Joanci.  Here’s your five back,”

            “I don’t get five back.”

            “I’ll take it.  I’m down to five anyway.”

            Scusi’s fill the air as he walks away waving his hand filled with cash.