Walking home from dinner, a souk vendor caught my eye and invited me in to see his rugs. So far, I hadn’t been engaging beyond a smile and a nod. I don’t need to buy anything and mostly it feels safer to not engage this first solo experience in the crazy souks. Especially since I would buy everything if I could and I’m gullible to a fault. But I had just come from a lovely dinner where the waiter was so kind and friendly and took me to the roof to see a violin concert at sunset. And I had a glass of wine in me so when he said come look, I thought what the hell. -I don’t want to look because I can’t buy anything. -Of course you can buy something! -No, I don’t have a house, so I have nowhere to put anything. -You don’t have a house? -No. – England won’t give you a house? Just ask your government, they will give you a house. -Well, I would love if England gave me a house, but I’m not from there so I don’t think they would. – Oh. -And anyway, I want to live here? -Really?! -Yes. – You want to buy a house or rent a house? -Both, either. -Well, I’m selling my house! – You are? Do you want to sell it to me? -Sure! Do you have paper? So, he writes down his first and last name and his address. Wants mine too…I don’t have one…that’s why you’re giving me yours. Right. -Ok come ask for me at my house and if you don’t want to buy it, I can help you find one to rent. -Ok, so I’ll come find you and buy your house? – Yes. -And then I will have a house, so I can come here and buy some rugs from you to put in it. – Yes! Perfect! I can’t even begin to tell you how happy this place makes me. I’m still carrying his info around in my purse so every time I open it, I see it and smile.
And who knows, maybe I’ll buy his house and then fill it with rugs from his shop. I’m sure crazier things have happened!
My first favorite person of Marrakech:
Walking home from first day in the souks, totally overwhelmed…..jetlagged…being cat called to, please madam, motos going mock too fast for the tight souk streets, tired. My riad is on a quiet street. Pink washed walls, cobblestones, plants hanging from balconies. Archways. Calm. The second you step off the main street, it feels like another world. I’m passing an older woman, and I greet her. I can’t help wanting to connect with everyone. She smiles and does the beautiful Moroccan gesture of taking her fist to her mouth and kissing the thumb pressed to the pointer finger and then touching her heart. I can’t help feeling flooded with love for this kind stranger who does this beautiful gesture. So, I repeat in kind. And she is delighted. And does it again. So, I do it again. And we are both still walking. At this point we have passed each other. And we both do it again.
And we’re both laughing. And then we keep walking and looking back at each other like we’ve just seen something magic. And I keep peeking. And she’s still peeking too…. And then we go about our days and I’m totally in love.
