Maybe tomorrow

We found him in the back of his store looking like a wizened, little Buddha with calm eyes and a gentle smile. And just when we were lulled into a sense of 'Aww, he's just a harmless little Balinese seller of touristy stuff' he snapped back at us. We were trying to bargain down the price of a metal Ganesha with four hands and a trunk that snaked to the right. All around us there was a rising crescendo of hard-nosed bargaining. I indignantly pointed it out to him. He gave me a disinterested look and said - Maybe tomorrow. Really? That was all? What did that even mean?

We stumbled back into the bright sunlight, Ganesha-less and not quite knowing if we had been summarily dismissed. Colors spilled forth all around us. And smiles. Incredible shiny smiles from passersby and shop keepers, the guy pushing a decrepit old bicycle and little children with bouncy steps and old ladies in sarongs. We got used to the sounds of "singla can can" which meant no problem.

The jarring effect of the rejection made us take a long winding road with lush, greenery on both sides (we needed to work off the disappointment) and into a store selling almost everything and more. We found a mysterious looking door handle which looked like it had come out Indiana Jones' Lost Ark. Till today I believe that will open into a world full of magic. My very own broomstick that will take me on a magical odyssey. I confess, I believe in magic.

But the Buddha man's 'Maybe tomorrow' was like a siren's call. We could not resist it and so we went there. Bright and early. The big, thatched roof area was divided into little blocks of stores filled with a profusion of Balinese itsy-bitsies that people would want to carry back with them. Grinning heads and tacky garlands jostled for space with "antiques". Seriously? Like we didn't know better.

And yes, he was there. Tucked into a corner at the back of his store block. Gentle smile in place. I stepped forward warily, spotted my four-handed Ganesha and almost swooped on it. He was still smiling. Picking it up I waved it before his face and boldly stated the price I had quoted the previous day. Still smiling, he said 'singla can can'. Wait a minute, was it the same guy? Did he not recognize us? In a move reminiscent of gladiators circling their prey before going in for the final kill, I pulled out my wallet with one hand and counted out the correct amount, Ganesha firmly clasped in the other. As I was leaving I caught a glint in his eyes.