Tingly is how I’d best describe it
The awkwardness comes later
Post sento, the sauna and cold plunge have put me into the zone.
It’s a few days before Tet, and things are picking up. The Lunar New Year brings with it traditions around eating, cleaning, gathering,
and giving.
Dehydrated and all atingle, I detour into the tiny grocery store. Usually when someone who looks like me enters I get stone silence. But today I’m greeted with a clear
Good evening
Her accent is clean, it’s obvious she’s had some English practice.
Hello
I reply with a smile.
I sneak towards the back and discover my target. The electolyte drink branded (somehow extremely profitably) as Pocari Sweat.
I bring it up to the counter and she says what I hear as
50000 please
I’m pretty confused, as that seems like a lot. I rationalize it as Tet surge pricing, and hand her a 50000 bill.
She replies with ‘just a moment’ and reaches into the till.
Thinking she is grabbing me a receipt, I tell her
Don’t worry about it
To which she responds
Oh my God, thank you so much!
It takes me a beat before I realize she originally said 15000 and mistook me for a generous pre-Tet benefactor.
Without thinking, I say
Oh, I thought you said 50
She smiles and realizes the misunderstanding.
Quickly reaches into the till to grab my change
Oh, I’m so sorry
And I slink my way out the door
The tingles of comfort now long gone.
It’s not until I get onto the bike that I reconstruct the events, and wonder somewhat sheepishly what I should have done differently.
And a new, less comforting tingle accompanies me home.
Get Up Eight 
Thanks for sharing. That tingle is uncomfortable and sticks with you, but at least it gave you a great slice to share.
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Ah, those hot-faced moments we have to live sometimes! Your writing is so clear a here that you took this reader through an unfamiliar place with constant understanding of the story. How you tell us early on that Tet involves generosity. As for the embarrassment, if you had sailed out of there leaving the big gift, I am certain SHE would have struggled with that feeling, realizing that she probably read the situation wrong. So I think, dont worry!
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All of us have had moments where we mishear, which leads to a response that makes us rethink what we did!
I had to google Tet surge. AM I correct that this has to deal with the Tet holiday?
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It reminds me of the read- alouds, when students mishear and interpret in their own humorous ways. Thanks for sharing.
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