“Let me get this straight,” i said, taking the flier from him. “I’ll go in and say i want to buy a house, but i don’t really need to buy one.”“Yes!” he responded, nodding eagerly as i began to catch on. “They show You houses, but You don’t need buy.”
“Yeah, because You’re handing out fliers so You must get some kickback or reward for getting people interested, right?”
Truthfully, i wasn’t interested in the least. Oddly enough, after being betrayed by a colleague, getting fired from my job, and being told that i had only three days to find a new place to live, all while being in a foreign country where i hardly spoke the language or knew anyone, looking at some dirty apartments for the next few hours didn’t seem very tempting. Even if i wanted to stay in Tianjin - which i wasn’t too sure about - i knew for a fact i couldn’t afford to buy a place.
And yet there was something keeping me from just turning around and starting my hour long commute home. Maybe it was his persistence, or something in his eyes, or maybe it was the way he had asked for help in his broken English. I looked over my shoulder in the direction of home, sighed, and turned back to him.
“You know what? If it will help You out, sure. There’s no reason both of us have to have bad days and it wouldn’t hurt to sow some good karma. Where do we go?"
As he led me through the dusty streets, Jian - that was his name - began to tell me about himself. His English got better the more we spoke and soon we were standing in front of a massive apartment complex that towered over the surrounding buildings. Although it was still under construction, it had an air of wealth and grandeur to it.
Two well dressed doormen, done up in 19th century finery, turned ornate doorknobs on a set of large glass doors and i was led through small atrium and into a much larger main showroom. Looking around at the polished granite floors laid with thick Persian rugs, high ceilings hung with delicate chandeliers, and servers carrying trays full of drinks, French pastries, and fancily carved pieces of fruit, i realized that this would not be the dull afternoon spent looking at seedy apartments that i had feared.
As a young lady in a business suit approached us, Jian leaned in and whispered, “Pretend You don’t know me.”
That made sense. It wouldn’t do him any good if they knew i was only here to do him a favor. No, and it probably wouldn't do to be a broke 21 year old without a job either. Okay, time to get creative. And yes, by ‘creative’ i mean 'blatantly lie about most of my life.' Normally, i try to avoid such things but i was starting to like Jian and couldn’t help but feel it was for a good cause.
Skip forward half an hour and i’m standing on the top floor of a luxury apartment, shaking my head.
 |
| Jian and me. |
Okay, i’m probably overdoing it with the theatric enthusiasm and slight Southern drawl but at his point i’m enjoying my alter ego. Jian, turns and translates my words to the lady standing next to me. Once they had found that not only was i an American, but an American who was a professor at the renowned Tianjin Medical University to boot, the head sales director herself had come to show me the various apartments that were available. Not speaking much English herself, Jian was kept on as a translator.
We tour through a handful more apartments, each more lavish than the last. I sip jasmine tea, eat fancy treats, and give them a good show.
“This is fine!” i say, nodding. "A nice big closet for my wife. That’s what we need. I love her but let me tell You, she has a wardrobe the size of a small thrift store.”
I laugh then look at my watch and give an exaggerated wince. We’ve been at this game for two hours which is long enough, i decide. I wrap things up on the pretense that i have a plane to catch. After snapping a few pictures, the director gives me her business card, and we head downstairs.
Back in the showroom, i’m offered cream truffles and pamphlets about the complex (with all the info in Chinese, of course.) Before i leave, i’m taken to a table laid out with small woven pouches. They hand me one and i open it. Inside is a bracelet with heavy black stones. I’ve seen similar ones worn by a handful of locals. They’re supposed to be good luck.
“Thank You so much,” i say as i slip it on.
 |
| Good luck bracelets for my nonexistent children. |
“I get three?”
She motions with her hands, one at her waist, one slightly above.
“Ah,” i say, understanding. “For my children. Thank You. I’m sure they’ll love them.”
As we walked away, it was quite the effort of self control to maintain our composure. When we were finally beyond eyesight, we high-fived and broke out laughing. After praising his good work, Jian’s boss had given him the rest of the day off. Jian insisted on walking me to my subway stop. On the way, he made sure we ran into his girlfriend so he could introduce us. With the sun shining and Spring’s flowers in bloom, it was a good walk there. We spoke of life, of America and China, and just about silly nothingness. As we arrived at my stop, he gave his phone number, thanked me again and told me to call him if i should ever need his help. Then we headed our ways.
As i descended the steps of the subway, i couldn’t help but laugh about the humor, yet also the depth, of the whole situation. When i was young, i heard that if You’re having a bad day, You should try to make someone else’s better and it might just turn Yours around while You’re at it. I guess it’s true. In the middle of being fired and not knowing where i’ll be sleeping in a few days, i’d just had one of the most ridiculous times of my trip so far.
