THE BONDS OF NATURE

The chap with the loud music on his phone was one of the Chinatown eccentric uncles whom I recognize at this point -- he looks like an elongated frog, and speaks mostly by hollering in Toishanese much of the time -- and I had incautiously sat down at a table nearby.
He's probably hard of hearing.

He made a remark about the pipe I was filling.

So while waiting for my chicken curry and rice to come everybody within two miles could hear our conversation. No, I only speak a little bit (嗯，我識講少少 'm, ngo sik gong siu siu'). Self taught, mostly (自學嘅 'ji hok ge'). My Mandarin is actually pretty darn bad (唔係，我講國語好差 'm hai, ngo gong gwok yü hou chaa'). Cantonese in this neighborhood is easier (呢個街坊，廣東話好易 'ni go gaai fong, gwong dung waa hou yi'). Dutch, born here (荷蘭人，喺呢度出世 'ho laan yan, hai ni dou chuet sai').

He left before my food arrived. While I ate I watched a young lady with a generous bosom happily dig in to steak, fries, and spaghetti (牛扒、薯條、意粉 'ngau paa, shü tiu, yi fan') while laughing at her cell phone. Good for her for treating herself well.

I paid, lit my pipe after leaving, and ambled down to Montgomery and Sacramento to catch the bus. The fog horns indicated that the warm weather would not last into darkness.
There was greyness on all the hills by early evening.

Now, I should mention that I am in some ways an awful person. I'm often judgemental of people based in appearances. For instance, when I see some people I mentally predict a widowmaker because of their weight. Which is sad. If they also look dull, I will mentally file them in the 'do not talk to' category. Some types of clothing automatically define them as middle-American, or trailer. Tattoos and piercings? Stern disapproval.

Maybe it's because so many people sneer and cringe when they see a man smoking, but that does not justify it.

If, on the other hand, they have nice faces, they inevitably look beautiful.
I really like warm smiles. Especially if they don't see me looking.
There is something endearingly lovely about those.

It's like someone singing Mozart's Queen of the Night aria (Der Hölle Rache) perfectly when no one even suspected any talent. The hellish vengeance, indeed, but one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever.



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