Daily Life: Wishful thinking! Tidbits from the Charity Shop

I love volunteering to work in the charity shop. Why? Our small town is a diverse melting pot, and the shop offers a new opportunity to interact with many nationalities. This is probably why I’ve struggled to learn Portuguese. For instance, I greeted one man and a woman as they entered the shop. with a ‘Bom dia’ and a big smile. I recognised them and I think them me. The woman then, all smiles, launched into Portuguese without pausing for breath. ‘Falar devaga,’ I begged. (speak slowly). ‘Eu nao comprendo,’ (I don’t understand). When she repeated the sentence, I then realised she was speaking to me in a mixture of French and Portuguese. Erm …

Wishful thinking …

Last week’s shift working in the charity shop, one customer made me laugh until tears leaked from my eyes. No language was needed; the visual was enough.

So a man in a leather cowboy hat and waistcoat entered the shop. On closer inspection, he wore brightly coloured hooped legging-style trousers and a long t-shirt. We are used to quirky dressers, as there are many quirky people here. That’s okay, I am quirky, so I fit in well. Anyways, he had skinny legs and a huge belly. Think pregnant frog. I resemble an old sow so … we make the most of what we have.

He disappeared amongst the ladies’ clothing area, chuntering away to himself in German while he meticulously searched through all the ladies’ clothes and once satisfied, dumped a huge pile on the counter, which we thought he wanted to buy. He was still chuntering on in German. My fellow assistant nodded and smiled. Apparently, she speaks German. I tried to look intelligent. He then paused. Looks at me, laughs jovially, and proudly hikes up his knee-length t-shirt. OMG, my immediate reaction was that he was about to expose himself. Nope. He was proudly showing me (something he had probably explained to my colleague) that he was wearing maternity trousers and they were a perfect fit to accommodate his big belly, which he patted proudly! Of course, I got a fit of the giggles.

Next, he went into the changing room, undressed and much to our surprise, asked us to pass the dresses (one by one) he had selected, which he tried on. Some were so petite that even an anorexic sparrow would be challenged. God loves an optimist (I am told). I have probably been guilty of the same.

Once he was satisfied none would fit, he laughed jovially and bought a man’s shirt and a T-shirt. A delightful guy with a brilliant sense of humour!

I wonder what next week will bring!

.