121.The frogs here are the loudest I’ve ever heard. All night they bellow: “There’s Ed! There’s Ed!” You just can’t get away from their croaking. I am reminded of old J. Edgar Hoover with his F.B.I agents. That’s the kind of ubiquitous presence he tried to have back in the USA!
There’s Ed!!
In the central marketplace today, the constant haggling for a fair low price finally gets to me.
I watch a woman shopper buy some oranges and see the price she is asked to pay—then I try to buy the same fruit for the same price—but the old lady selling the oranges wants me to pay four times what she charged the other shopper. I argue and fume but she won’t reduce the price—then when I finally give up and pay her price, she short-changes me!
I stamp and yell and swear—it’s hot as blazes and I have just had more than I can take.
The other shoppers in the market are delighted by the show! This old lady has been sitting here for years waiting to get her hands on some of what they call the “white man’s sweet money’ and she would rather die than give me an even break! But I feel much better after blowing up, the crowd is grateful for some free entertainment and the girl in the next stall sells me some bananas super cheap.
Can this be some of the priceless earthprobing experience which will help me understand “Life”?
Is this what I came to Africa for??
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