Outrageous

In response to the prompt on Writer's Island on April 24 2008.

She was tired, exhausted but stilll pretty excited. The ground was hot and the breeze, being warm, did not help in feeling refreshed. Though she was a foreigner here, this place gave her some peace and serenity. In the 10 days that she spent here, there is some calmness in the whole chaos of life. She has read and heard that sometimes one’s own land does not give the peace that one is looking for. That's the reason, places are explored and discovered.

Today she was flying back to her country and she wanted to buy some souvenirs for herself and her dear ones. Even before coming here, she had spent lot of time knowing the local language and culture. She knew exactly what the locals eat, what they wear, what they celebrate, how much the local stuff cost.

She entered a shop, where the two shopkeepers immediately started luring her into buying the stuff what was displayed in the store. There was couple of things she wanted to buy and asked them for the price. They, thinking she is a foreigner and not knowing any local knowledge, quoted prices 10 times higher. She felt outrageous. She realized irrespective of how much she accepts the place, the locals will always try to take advantage of her because of her face. Gaining herself, she spoke to them calmly in their local language, that she was planning to buy lots of stuff but now she feels cheated even without buying anything. The shopkeepers were stunned hearing her speak their language so flawlessly. They stood speechless as they watched her walk away.