Attacked

Mobsters and gangsters give the advice, "Don't sit with your back to the door.  Be aware of your surroundings."  In westerns, with a bunch of cowboys playing poker, the smart ones sit with their backs against the corner walls.

 

At my favorite backgate noodle place, I shall warn you, "Do not sit with your back towards the door." 

 

The restaurant is a small closet of a space that is usually full of about fifteen people.  It is a hole in a wall where I only point to the picture of my favorite long noodles covered with pork, bok choy, white beans, and red hot chili peppers.  I am afraid to actually say the name of the dish because it sounds too much like toilet noodles, and I am not confident with my tones and pronunciation.  I don't want to accidentally order toilet noodles.  It might be kind of impolite.

 

As I was writing in my journal waiting for a small bowl of lunch, I was suddenly attacked.  A little four year old boy, son of one of the waitresses, snuck up on me, cocked his tiny arm, and threw the hardest punch he could.  The woman behind me gasped as she saw this preschooler hit a customer.  I am short, so bam right into the ribs.  It was a hard punch, but I'm a tough cookie and can take harder.  I ignored it thinking he was just looking for attention.  After a minute, he snuck up again and wham, another punch right to the ribs.  I ignored it again.  

 

After living in Africa and dealing with rock throwing kids, chanting kid mobs, kids who will run alongside your bike for five minutes, kids who will sit outside your gate for hours staring and taunting you, I have a high tolerance for behavior that is different than what I am accustomed to.  I find the best coping method is to ignore it or tell the older sibling what their younger sibling is doing.

 

My noodles arrived, and as I was staring out the large window, the kid appeared.  He pulled down his pants, and instead of turning towards the street, he turned towards his older sister who was talking on her cell and proceeded to pee on her shoes.