In Istanbul, we were looking at this fortune telling rabbit — I know, right? — when this guy appealed to my vanity. He said I looked smart — I know, right? — and that I must be a teacher. He pointed out he had a rug and leather store just around the corner. This being our first encounter with the out-and-about salesman which is so common in Istanbul, we followed him to the store.

Smart, right?

He showed us the rugs. They were beautiful. Wouldn’t tell us the prices. I guess we also looked cheap. He then tried to sell us a leather jacket, but it was about 92 degrees in May, and we weren’t interested. Nice guy, but the harder he tried, the less I was into it.

Even though I didn’t buy anything, it was nice to go inside his air conditioned store for a few minutes. Maybe I am smart, after all.