Well it finally happened. I got poked. I think usually it is more of a grab, but for me it was just a poke. Still not sure if it was an accident or on purpose. I've been told that it is always on purpose, but I am still not convinced.
Yesterday I took a friend to the very crowded, Monday Market. Lots of pushing happens. Ladies in burquas push just to move down the lane. And mix in with that a motorcycle, some school kids, and men. We are all trying to find good deals on cloth, fuzzy sweaters, and shoes. I told my friend that she should hold her hands up around her chest just as a layer of protection. Sometimes people take the opportunity of a crowd to reach out and touch someone, so we both were walking with our arms kind of clutching our purse straps. And then it happened. The poke. A beggar man had his palm out for money and reached up to poke me on the shoulder. Only he didn't hit my shoulder. He hit a softer spot of my upper body that I was trying to protect. I swung my elbow towards him but didn't make contact. Then as I walked away, I smiled. It was comical to me for some strange reason. Here I was trying to protect my friend and be an expert in street smarts, and I am the one who gets poked.
3 comments:
Thank you for writing again. Can't believe you've been in India so long and never even been poked. Man, it's the life to be a married woman in India ;).
Yeah, I echo Kim. I definitely got poked (more like grabbed) - and if it didn't happen more than once, it was certainly attempted more than once. It was those newspaper boys - they scared me!
I can remember the first time that happened to me and I was running down the street chasing the guy yelling you are disgusting!! Ah good times!
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