Frequently, I can be not just dumb, but exceptionally stupid. Such was the case Sunday morning. Mary and I spent the weekend selling her art glass and jewelry (Desert Sky Glass) at the Reid Park Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair. An encounter with one customer went horribly, comically awry.
It started out fine. An older, chubby, balding guy stepped up, looking at the pendants on the front of our table. He said he was looking for gifts for his nieces but had to "check with the boss" i.e. his wife. He makes a quick call on his cell and asks how old his nieces are and what their favorite colors are. Ok, he says, it's cleared with the boss, and he already had the necklaces picked out from the dozen or so we had available. He wants one pink and one purple. Only, to us, the purple is not really purple, it's more like a deeper shade of pink. But he's indicated that he has made up his mind and, hey, the customer is always right, right? With a sale imminent, Mary keeps talking and says, "it's not really purple, but maybe an Easter purple, you know?" "No, I don't know," he responds coldly, giving her a mean look. "Oh, I just mean like the color a purple dyed egg," Mary says, suddenly nervous. "I'm Jewish!" he says, clearly upset. Mary apologizes and they conclude the transaction without further incident.
It was at this point that I decided to say something and it was the first thing that comes into my head. As it turned out, it was just about the worst thing I could have possibly said. My brain was not in gear, as if the previous few minutes had not occurred. "Are these a Christmas gift for your nieces?" I asked. He froze, and fixed on me with a stare of complete hatred. Probably he was trying to figure out if I was retarded, or a Neo-Nazi, or a retarded Neo-Nazi. This stare went on for ages. Finally Mary firmly says "He said he was Jewish!" and that seemed to diffuse the situation.... Finally, he says "they're a Hanukkah present" and walks off with in disgust.
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