3 for HK$100

It was almost 7:00 pm. I was glad that the shop was still open; otherwise, I would have had to come again for the third time the next day.

I was browsing and overheard the shop lady, likely the owner, having lively chatter about her commodities with a middle-aged woman.

“This one is better than the others, and it’s more expensive,” the shop lady explained to the middle-aged woman while pointing her finger in my direction.

Following the direction of the shop lady’s finger, the middle-aged woman looked at the shorts in my hand and reflexively replied, “Oh yes! I see that. It’s better. I’ll have this one.”

Then she noticed the pants by my side and added, “Why do you stock all these thick pants here? It’s getting hot, and nobody needs them now.”

“Oh, ha, they actually sell quite well,” the shop lady answered with a grin, paused and continued, “The old folks buy them. They always feel cold, even in the middle of summer. That’s why I have to stock summer and winter garments here all year round.”

The middle-aged woman exclaimed indignantly, “Oh yes! Oh yes! Those logwei  (old folks) in nursing homes always wear these kinds of clothes all year round. These clothes are cheap anyway. When they shit in their pants, and they often do, the workers just throw them away. It saves a lot of work!”

The shop lady politely handed the sports shorts to her, took her HK$100 banknote and turned to me and said, “Anything you want?”

“Yeah, do these shorts come in XXXL or larger sizes?” I asked her while still holding an XL size in my hand.

“XXXL is the largest, but you don’t need an XXXL; an XL will do.” The shop lady replied. Hearing what the shop lady said to me, the middle-aged woman quickly turned around and stared at me with a surprised look.

“No, I’m shopping for my dad. He has a big tummy. He will turn 100 next year.” I smilingly replied. Both ladies moved their eyes away from me.

“Do you have three XXXL?” I asked the shop lady.

“Let me have a look,” she replied and went to the back of the shop.

She came back with a plastic bag full of shorts and poured them out for me to choose.

“They are three for HK$100, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they’re.”

“The T-shirts are three for HK$100 too?”

“Yep.”

“Are they cotton?”

“Yes, they are. But they’ll start pilling after a few washes. They should be fine for the older folks.”

“Do you have XXL size?”

“I think so. I’ll have a look.” She went to the back of the shop again and returned with a pile of T-shirts. This time, they were packed separately in plastic bags.

At the end, I bought three XXXL shorts and 3 XXL T-shirts and gave her two HK$100 banknotes. She took them and handed me a HK$10 banknote. I took the money while wondering who was worse at arithmetic.

As I walked to the train station, I couldn’t help thinking repeatedly why she gave me back HK$10. Shouldn’t it be HK$200? Would it be because she was trying to be merciful to an old folk who bought cheap shorts and T-shirts for his old father? Did she think that HK$200 was too big an expense for me? Was I supposed to bargain with her before I bought the clothes, and she felt sorry for me not doing that? Was the HK$10 my reward for being a brainless customer? I was ungrateful for that at all, but I would not turn down an unasked discount anyway.

I don’t quite appreciate her honesty about the goods, but she was helpful and spared me much of the embarrassment; at least she did not openly  concur that the clothes I bought were for old men shitting in their pants and waiting to be cleaned. Just the thought of it is awful.

When old folks reach that state, I wonder how many can ask for a different treatment and how many can have this basic wish granted. It is such a saddening reality. I do not want to imagine how I will feel when I get there. I just feel helplessly sorry for any old folks who are in that situation for the rest of their lives.