PRETTY SHOES FOR MOMMY

ONE DAY, HAO HAO & MOMMY WENT TO THE BIG DEPARTMENT STORE LOCATED AT DOWNTOWN FUZHOU, CHINA. THE DEPARMENT STORE IS CALLED “DA-YOUNG.” INTIALLY, THEY WERE PLANNING TO JUST DO SOME WINDOW SHOPPING, BUT THINGS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT WHEN HAO HAO WALKED BY A WOMEN’S SHOE STORE AT THE 1ST FLOOR.

HE SAW A VERY ELEGANET PAIR OF LADY SHOES AND FOR SOME STRANGE REASON, HE FELT THAT PAIR OF SHOES WERE MADE FOR MOMMY. HOWEVER, MOMMY DID NOT FEEL LIKE BUYING ANYTHING THAT DAY, ESPECIALLY SOMETHING COSTS MORE THAN 700 RMB.

BEING SUCH A STOBORN LITTLE BOY, HAO HAO REFUSED TO TAKE “NO” AS AN ANSWER. HE EVEN ASKED MOMMY TO SIT DOWN ON A SMALL SOFA AT THE STORE SO HE COULD PERSONALLY PUT ON THE NEW SHOES FOR MOMMY. WHILE HE WAS DOING THAT, EVERYONE AT THE STORE THOUGHT “WHAT A NICE LITTLE BOY! – HE WAS TREATING HIS MOTHER SO WELL.”

AFTERWARD, HE TOLD THE STORE CLERK THAT HE GOT THE MONEY FOR SHOES IN HIS LITTLE POCKET. IN FACT, THAT WAS HIS BABY BARGAINING TECHNIQUE. THE TRUTH WAS THAT HE REALLY DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY AND HE QUIETLY WISPERED INTO MOMMY’S EAR, TELLING HER, “DADDY IS THE ONE WHO HAS THE MOMEY FOR THE SHOES.”

THE NEXT THING HE DID WAS CALLING ME ON THE PHONE. HE USED MOMMY’S CELL PHONE TO MAKE THE CALL AND SURPRISINGLY THE CALL REACHED ME IN TAIWAN. AMAZINGLY, MY BOY KNEW HOW TO USE HIS MOMMY’S MOBILE FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. HIS CELL PHONE SKILL MIGHT NOT WORK EVERY TIME & SOMETIMES HE ACTAULLY CALLED THE WRONG PERSON. NONETHELESS, HAO HAO’S CALL GOT THROUGH SUCCESSFULLY THIS TIME.

THREE SECONDS AFTER I PICKED UP THE PHONE, I REALIZED IT WAS HAO HAO CALLING ME. WHENEVER HE CALLED ME, THERE WAS NO VOICE COMING FROM THE OTHER END BECAUSE HE WAS STILL TOO YOUNG TO TALK LIKE A GROW-UP. MEANWHILE, I COULD ALWAYS SEE MY WIFE’S CELL NUMBER ON MY OWN MOBILE SCREEN.

ANYWAY, I STARTED SPEAKING “BABY TALK” TO HAO HAO AS SOON AS I REALIZED THAT HE CALLED ME. AFTER A GOOD THIRTY SECONDS OF FATHER-&-SON TALK, HAO HAO’S MOMMY TOOK THE CELL AWAY FROM HAO HAO’S HANDS. SHE TOLD ME THAT HAO HAO WANTED TO BUY A PAIR OF NICE SHOES FOR HER. I ONLY TALKED TO HER A LITTLE BIT SINCE THEY CALLED ME AT AN EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

AFTER I HANG UP THE PHONE, HAO HAO RETURNED TO HIS PRICE BARGAINING AGAINST THOSE CLERKS. ALTHOUGH THAT PARTICUALR PAIR OF SHOES LOOKED REAL NICE ON MOMMY, STILL SHE DID NOT WANT TO BUY THEM. INSTEAD, HAO HAO’S MOMMY TRICKED HAO HAO INTO THINKING THAT SHE BOUGHT THE NEW SHOES ALREADY. THIS WAY SHE COULD JUST TAKE OUR LITTLE BOY AWAY FROM THE STORE.

ALTHOUGH HAO HAO IS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD, HE IS AWEFULLY BRIGHT FOR BOYS HIS AGE. WHILE GOING BACK HOME, HE SLOWLY NOTICED SOMETHING WAS AT ODD ON THE BUS. OFTEN AFTER THEY BOUGHT SOMETHING, THEY SHOULD BE CARRYING A DEPARTMENT STORE BAG WITH WHATEVER THEY BOUGHT IN IT. STRANGELY, MOMMDY DID NOT CARRY ANY NEW BAG THIS TIME. HAO HAO BECAME VERY SUSPICIOUS & GRADUALLY REALIZED MOMMY DID NOT BUY THE LADY SHOES. SINCE HE IS ALSO A VERY STUBORN BABY, HAO HAO DEMANDED TO GO BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT STORE AGAIN.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, MOMMY & THE STORE CLERK AGREED THAT THEY REALLY SHOULD LIE TO HAO HAO A LITTLE BIT BETTER THIS TIME AROUND. BY PUTTING MORE EFFORT INTO THE ACT, HAO HAO’S MOMMY NOW CARRIED A BAG WITH AN EMPTY SHOE BOX INSIDE. HAO HAO WAS ONCE AGAIN TRICKED INTO THINKING THAT MOMMY HAD BOUGHT THE BEAUTIFUL SHOES THAT HE WANTED MOMMY HAVE. NOW HE WAS HAPPY AND SATISFIED TO GO BACK HOME.

FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO, MOMMY ALWAYS FIGURED OUT AN EXCUSE NOT TO OPEN THE BOX WHENEVER HAO HAO WANTED HER TO WEAR THE NEW SHOES. OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS TO PREVENT HAO HAO FROM FINDING OUT THE TRUTH. HAO HAO WOULD DEFINITELY BE VERY UPSET IF HE REALIZED THAT THE BOX IS ACTUALLY EMPTY.

LATER ON THAT EVENING, HAO HAO TOLD EVERYONE THAT MOMMY GOT A NEW PAIR OF PRETTY SHOES. HE WOULD ALSO STEP ON OTHER GROWN-UP SHOES SAYING THAT THEIRS WERE UGLY. OTHER ADULTS WOULD PROTEST AND SAY THAT HAO HAO’S MOMMY DID NOT WEAR ANY FANCY NEW SHOES. IMMEDIATELY, HAO HAO WOULD RESPONDED BY POINTING TO THE DIRCTION OF OUR APARMENT AS A WAY OF SAYING, “MOMMY’S PRETTY SHOES ARE AT HOME.”

MEANWHILE, HAO HAO’S MOMMY WAS STILL WEARING HER OLD SNEAKERS. SHE HAD NO CHOICE BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO PREVENT HAO HAO FROM REALIZING THERE IS ACTUALLY NO NEW SHOES. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO WAY MOMMY’S LIE COULD LAST FOR TOO LONG AND EVENTUALLY, HAO HAO DID FOUND OUT THE TRUTH.

“NO PRETTY SHOES!!!” HE SCREAMED IN HIS TINY LITTLE MIND & EVERYONE AROUND HIM COULD SEE THAT HE WAS IN SHOCK FOR AT LEAST A MINUTE OR SO. AFTER THE INTIAL REACTION, HAO HAO STARTED TO GET VERY ANGRY BECAUSE HE COULD NOT BELIEVE THE SALES CLERK AT THE SHOE STORE LIED TO HIM BY GIVING HIM AN EMPTY BOX. IT WAS KIND OF FUNNY BECAUSE PERHAPS IT NEVER OCCURRED TO HIM THAT MOMMY WAS IN IT, TOO.

HAO HAO NOW STARTED YELLING “YOUNG-YOUNG” TO MOMMY. HE KEPT SAYING THOSE TWO WORDS BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT STORE WAS CALLED “DA-YOUNG.” HE WAS STILL TOO LITTLE TO SAY THE FULL NAME CORRECTLY, BUT EVERYONE COULD TELL THAT
HE WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE “DA-YOUNG” BADLY. HAO HAO WANTED TO GET THE PRETTY SHOES BACK FOR MOMMY. SADLY, WAS VERY LATE IN THE EVENING ALREADY SO MOMMY PROMISED HAO HAO TO TAKE HIM BACK THE NEXT DAY.

AFTER A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP, SHE WAS HOPING THAT HAO HAO WOULD FORGET ABOUT THE SHOES THING. HOWEVER, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN AND SHE STILL GOT TO TAKE HIM BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT STORE.

AT THE BEGINNING, MOMMY DID NOT TAKE HAO HAO BACK TO THE “DA-YOUNG” DEPARTMENT STORE RIGHT AWAY. INSTEAD SHE TOOK HIM TO SOME OTHER PLACES FIRST. SHE WAS STILL HOPING THAT HE WOULD FORGET ABOUT THE “SHOES ISSUE” AFTER WALKING AROUND FOR A WHILE.

UNLIKE OTHER BABIES WHO MIGHT FORGET ABOUT THINGS QUICKLY, HAO HAO WAS DETERMINED TO GET THOSE PRETTY SHOES BACK. PERHAPS DEEP IN SIDE HIS HEART, HE BELIEVED THAT THOSE SHOES WERE MEANT TO BE WORE BY HIS MOTHER. HE KEPT ON SAYING “YOUNG-YOUNG” BEFORE THEY ARRIVED AT THE DEPARTMENT STORE. HE WAS LETTING EVERYONE KNOW, “LET’S GO TO THE ‘DA-YOUNG’ DEPERTMENT STORE & GET THOSE SHOES BACK RIGHT NOW!”

FINALLY HAO HAO RETURNED TO THE SHOE STORE EARLY THAT AFTERNOON. EVERYONE COULD SEE THAT HAO HAO WAS FURIOUS AT THE FEMALE CLERKS AT THE STORE. THEY ALL FELT THAT HAO HAO’S ANGER WERE VERY FUNNY & ADORABLE. HOWEVER, THEY DID THEIR BEST TO REFRAIN FROM LAUGHING OUTLOUD BECAUSE THAT WOULD UPSET LITTLE HAO HAO EVEN MORE. SIMPLY PUT, IT WAS A VERY HULARIOUS SITUATION WHERE A TWO-YEAR-OLD BOY WAS ACTING LIKE A GROWN-UP.

FIRST HAO HAO SAID TO ONE OF THE CLEARK, “UNCLE, HIT, HIT.” WHEN TRANSLATING THIS TO A GROWN-UP LANGUAGE, IT MEANT “MY UNCLE WILL HIT YOU IF YOU DO NOT GIVE ME BACK MY MOMMY’S SHOES.” HOWEVER, THE CLERK REPLIED TO HAO HAO, “SO WHAT, I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOUR UNCLE.”

AS A SECOND ATTEMPT, HAO HAO REPHRASED TO “DADDY, HIT, HIT” AND AGAIN THE LADY CLERK WAS NOT INTIMITATED BY THIS BABY THREAT. NOW HAO HAO TRIED IT FOR THE THIRD TIME BY SAYING “GRANDPA, HIT, HIT.” STILL THE LADY SALES WAS UNMOVED.

THE INDIFFERENCE WAS GETTING ON HAO HAO’S NERVE. AS A WAY OF PROTEST, HE STARTED STEPPING ON THE LADY SALES’ SHOES WITH HIS LITTLE FEET. ALTHOUGH HIS BABY ATTACK WAS NOT GOING TO HURT ANYONE, THE LADY SALES FINALLY DECIDED TO STOP PLAYING & GIVING HIM THE SHOES.

NEVERTHELESS, HAO HAO DID SOMETHING EVEN FUNNIER AFTER THIS. HE ACTUALLY WANTED TWO PAIR OF SHOES! HE FELT THAT THE FIRST PAIR WAS RIGHTFULLY HIS & THE SECOND PAIR WAS THE COMPENSATION FOR HIS SUFFERING. IN OTHER WORKDS, HE SHOULD NOT BE OBLIGATED TO PAY A DIME FOR THE SHOES.

IN FACT, HAO HAO HAS HIS OWN PHILOSIPHY OF DOING CERTAIN THINGS EVEN THOUGH HE WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK FLUENTLY LIKE A GROWN-UP. SOMETIMES HE WANTED TO GET ONE MORE ITEM FROM THE SAME PRICE AND OTHER TIMES HE WAS ABLE TO GET THE SAME ITEM BUT AT A MUCH CHEAPER PRICE.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE 700+ RMB SHOES WAS REDUCED TO 600 RMB AFTER SOME INTENSE BABY BARGAINING MANEUVER. ALTHOUGH HAO HAO WAS STILL NOT TOO PLEASED WITH IT, HIS MOMMY KNEW BETTER. SHE WAS PRETTY SURE THAT AT 600 RMB, THEY WERE GETTING A PRETTY GOOD DEAL. THEREFORE, SHE BOUGHT THE SHOES AT THAT PRICE.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE WAS THE WAY HAO HAO PREPARED FOR THE SHOES ‘PURCHASING.’ HE PURPOSELY ASKED MOMMY TO PREPARE A LOT OF “1-RMB-COIN” TODAY. IN HIS LITTLE MIND, THOSE COINS SHOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO PAY FOR THE PRETTY SHOES. AS A RESULT, HE JUST GAVE THE LADY SALES SOME COINS INSTEAD OF PAYING THE FULL AMOUNT WHEN SHE ASKED HIM FOR THE MONEY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THAT WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE AT ALL.

MEANWHILE, EVERYONE AT THE STORE SAW A GREAT SHOW PUT ON BY HAO HAO THAT DAY. A LOT OF CUSTOMERS WERE VERY IMPRESSED BY HAO HAO’S UNBELIEVABLE BEHAVIOR. THEY ALSO BECAME VERY INTERESTED IN BUING THAT PATICULAR TYPE OF WOMEN SHOES. AS A RESULT, THE SHOE STORE HAD A RECORD DAY SELLING THOSE SHOES.

FOR HAO HAO, HE WAS FINALLY SATISFIED BECAUSE NOW HE GOT THE PRETTY SHOES THAT HE WANTED FOR MOMMY. WHEN HE LEFT THE STORE THIS TIME, HE EVEN GAVE A “LOOK” TO THOSE SALES LADY AS TO WARN THEM NOT TRICK HIM AGAIN.