I will gift you this jacket

Grand Bazaar
Photo by Mary Strobbe

While this is a cautionary tale I have told many times to friends, I have been reluctant to record it in my blog.

What prompted the change? Actually two things and the more recent is the murder of a NYC woman in Istanbul and the arrest of the suspected murderer. The other is ethical. It has to do with the naiveness of women I believed to be sophisticated.

It seems men without exception "get it" but few women do.

Here is the tale in condensed form.

It was my birthday and I was treating myself to wandering, or perhaps a better term is getting lost, in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It was a typical hot summer day but a few of the shops were air conditioned.

Satisfied at having purchased a gold chain at an excellent price, I stopped to admire a leather jacket with a bias cut front that created a full and generous ruffled look. It was quite fashionable and appeared to be an extremely soft leather. The color was a blue-green that was not quite turquoise, perhaps a closer description would be sea green.

I must have been looking at  at the jacket a little too long. Was I drooling?  A quite handsome man exited the shop and walked directly to me.  He invited me in to come into the shop.  I said no.  I am quite aware how difficult it can be to say no to some of the persuasive tactics these salesmen have perfected over the years.

The heat really was unbearable and the shop was air conditioned.  Further persuasion convinced me to take advantage of the air conditioning. What harm could there be in looking?

The jacket was beautiful, flattering and sexy. Timidly I asked the price. It was one of those that if you asked you could not afford it.

I gulped when quoted the price and said I was a very poor woman and that I could not afford such a beautiful garment. Of course, he switched to the expected bargaining mode. He persisted and I repeated my poor woman routine several times while I enjoyed the look and feel of the jacket, checking the mirror every so often.

Eventually, he said to me "I will gift you this jacket".

At those words, I removed the jacket as quickly as I was able and flew out the door!

So many women asked why I did not find out what he meant or accept the offer. Men understand immediately.

At least I know what my price was to him: 5000 Euros! Not bad for a 60 year old woman!

Since then I have looked for a jacket similar and have never found anything near in style. Should I go back and renegotiate?