You can pay me later...

italy / italian / culture / life / living / way — shoe repair shopWhen was the last time you heard that from a vendor? Strangely enough, this takes place all the time in Italy (sorry... but not usually for tourists). Whether it was the local specialty food store or the hardware store or the fix-it guy or the man delivering the new washing machine... "you can pay me later" was no big deal.

Often, "you can pay me later" turns into "you can pay me nothing at all." Vendors will not accept payment for small things. The shoe repair guy stretches out a pair of Paige's shoes and won't accept payment, a welder takes 20 minutes to weld extensions on new keys (so they'll fit in the very thick front door) and won't accept payment, the gelato guy won't accept payment for the smaller than normal cone he prepares for Savannah,... I could go on and on. I loved this about living in Italy!

Of course, there's no faster way to get on Anne-Marie's homemade goodies list (e.g., chocolate-chip cookies, brownies, cakes of all kinds) than by performing small acts of kindness... just ask the shoe guy!

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