On trust and wooden tribal masks.

Today as I walked through the array of market Wednesday booths in the Union on my way back to Rogers, a Jamaican man prompted me to come over and talk with him. Curious, I complied. He asked me where I was from. When I told him "St. Augustine," he explained that he used to sell his wares outside of Flagler every day. He then gently grabbed me by the wrist and directed me to his booth. He and his selling partner sell painted stone eggs (made in Kenya) and wooden tribal masks he says he carved himself.

He urged me to buy something, as any good salesman does, and started placing items in my hand. He began to bargain with me. "This is normally $60.00 [yeah right], but for you, 90% off! Since you are from St. Augustine, how about I give this [egg with a painted turtle on it] for only $10.00?" He explained he needed gas money to get home, and since business was slowing down, he really wanted me to purchase something. I truthfully told him I had no cash on me.

Unhindered, he continued to talk about his other products. A wooden mask caught my eye. I asked him how much it would cost. He told me I could have the egg and the mask for only $20.00. He could see the doubt in my eyes. Finally, he determined I could purchase them together for only $15.00, "since you're from St. Augustine." He placed his wares in my hands and told me to take them. "Just pay me when you come back through the Union." "Really?" I replied. I said he really didn't have to do that. He insisted that I take them, that he trusted me.

Encouraged, not by his salesmanship (though it was a unique strategy, for sure), but by his trust, I cashed my birthday check and went back to the Union with a 20 dollar bill.

He smiled when he saw me coming toward him. He told me he was very pleased with my honesty and asked for a hug. This could have been potentially creepy, but I hugged him. He and his partner then asked me about my life, my major, and my recent engagement (they saw the ring on my finger). His partner and I talked about the Bible, how he likes the Old Testament because it talks about God; he sees truth in it. He doesn't like the New Testament because he thinks that a lot of illegitimate people attempted to rewrite God's truth, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible.

Should I have presented some sort of salvation message or spoken with him longer? I don't know, and I have some doubts as to whether I handled the situation properly. I told him that the New Testament was certainly compiled differently, but that doesn't make it less important.

Finally, I said I needed to go. We shook hands and smiled at one another with pure, joyful smiles, the kind you give to a dear friend you haven't seen in months.

I walked away with a wooden mask, a painted egg, 20 fewer dollars, and an overwhelming excitement. Was I cheated out of 20$? Maybe, but there's no wrong in being generous.

And the man in the Union was generous with me. Because he trusted me, a stranger, with his belongings. And I was compelled to reciprocate.

Today was an interesting day. If we've been entrusted with something, given something we don't deserve, how can we not feel compelled to reciprocate, to give back, to encourage kindness in this world?