Well, this is the summary of my “today”. My friend (she asked me not to disclose her name) asked me to go along with her and help her shop. She wanted to buy a winter jacket and a boot; let me tell you she had no whatsoever idea on what she really wanted to buy, all she said was she would know when she would see, thereby not giving me any clue what to look for.Then we started our shopping scavenger; lucky we (I) were that the jacket was picked soon after we scanned few shops.

My choosy friend finally falls for a brown boot, and then she asks for the price, the price was too high than the boot would have cost. After a few seconds of bargain, the salesgirl marked her price but mybargainqueenfriend was not so willing to pay the amount. Then we left the store and tried few other shop, well wait! We not just tried few other shops but we tried few other malls.(Thank god there are only three of them in Kathmandu).All she did was talk about that brown boot all the way back and forth the malls, we hopped malls to malls and shops to shops. One shopkeeper almost hit my face with shoe while he was trying to sell it.

She was like “tyo chucchi kt lai teti ma diye k janthyo tesko”, she was practically whining like a kid, nagging me all the way. She would ask if it was ok to go back to the same shop and get the boot, then again she would answer herself “NO! That would hurt my ego. I must not go. Ah! Why don’t you go there and buy it for me.” She kept on giving reasons why she should not go back and why she should get that particular shoe. She says “Paila paila mom used to say ek taal pasal ma saman chodera aye pachi kahilei ni farkera nahernu… tara aja ayera esto bho” Finally, after continuous monologues she decided to get back to the same store. We were just about to reach the store when she goes “Damn, I feel like I am gonna give my exams. Should I really go?” Just a few seconds before we were walking together, and just as we were about to step the threshold of the store she walks in a curve,away from the store; I find myself in the store alone. I ask the salesgirl for the boot we previously looked “Dd agi herreko jutta …” (the moment I said that incomplete sentence, I could feel the whole lot of hot blood rush in my face and I felt like I said something that was forbidden). My friend gets back in the store and starts giggling making me hot of shame. I couldn’t even look at the salesgirl; we payed her amount and hurried out of the store.

I really don’t understand why we were so ashamed to get back and get the shoe when we were paying for it and not getting it for free. Whole time I teased my friend that she had now become egoless and that she sold her ego for the boot. I hope the brown boot is worth all the trouble and shame we shared together.