It was the absolute key moment of the transaction. All of the work up to this point would depend on what happened in the next few seconds. Around us, the Ladies Market swirled with the sound of deals being made on toys, sneakers, and even silk pajamas. The mouth-watering smell of noodle stands serving late lunches wafted over it all. So many dollars and cents being spent along more than a half-mile of Tung Choi Street in Kowloon. The afternoon was hot, and I drew a long, humid, Hong Kong breath.
At stake: some very cool Ray-Ban-style sunglasses. Together with two friends, I had ventured to the market without a shopping list, just looking to wander and observe a bit of the customary mayhem here. But now we coveted the glasses. We picked them out. We tried them on. But after an initially promising back-and-forth on the price with the wizened older woman who owned that particular stand, we had reached an impasse. Loggerheads. Taking the lead in the bargaining, I made my final offer, but it wasn’t enough. No deal.
