Work

Did I ever tell you that I was a vegetarian?
The girl looks at me quizzically. Eating only vegetables is such a strange and rare thing that only crazy people would do in Japan.
"Yea, I was a vegetarian for a short period of time."
I look out the window of the tall building I'm in and see an ocean of buildings in front of me. The sun setting behind us paints the otherwise gray buildings with a tinted pink hue. It's starting to become winter and the sun is going down earlier these days. I look back at the cute young thing in front of me and notice she is on the edge of her seat, waiting for me to say something, they always are.
"When I was living high up in the mountains in Canada I lived with some vegetarians and became interested. I wanted to know what it was about."
"Why?"
I look out again and see the mountain beside us. The leaves are changing their shade of green to gold but from here it looks brown. Being able to see nature, city and ocean in one scenic view is a something I never get tired of.
"I tried it out. It's a really different experience. It only ended after I took a ten day meditation course in which I was completely silent and never said a word to another single soul."
"Huh? Why?"
She replies, and the slightest hint of confusion crosses her face. The look is so subtle but so distinct. It's not a look that says 'I don't know what he is talking about', it is a look that says, 'I'm not sure if I can relate to this person anymore.' I see that look and it burns into me. I know that if I lose this girl's respect, it will be difficult to bring it back, and once it is gone, along with it goes a portion of my salary. Talking to women for money was once fun, now it's ruining me.
Some people look at conversation as a pass time. Those that have more skill and motive look at it like chess, thinking a few steps ahead.
I look at conversation like it's gonna bring me money or not.
I smile and I look at her dead in the eye. I know that she doesn't see the color blue in a human eye far too often. I'm knowledgeable in the fact that it has a certain effect. The white of my teeth are now showing and the light of my smile as I gaze deep into her eye begins to make her blush a little. I say, "It was incredible. Those days. That time."
I turn away from her to admire the concrete jungle below me. I see from the corner of her eye she is catching her breath and blushing. When I think of how much this girl is paying to be sitting here talking to me, I know I have to bring her something of value. Work is work, and if I don't give to her what she wants, she will take her business elsewhere. What she wants, she doesn't say - so some amount of mind reading is required.
Generally, when a girl at work asks me a question, I have two answers. 1. I say what she wants to hear. 2. I say what I think she wants to hear.
In the earlier question she wanted to know why I was a vegetarian and why I did some wacky meditation course. The true reason for me doing this is too far beyond her realm of understanding. The force that motivated me to do something like that along with motivating me to come to this country is not something she can relate to. People fear and hate what they don't know, it's no secret. For centuries, foreign peoples have raged war with cultures they didn't understand. On a smaller scale the same thing happens in our daily life. A guy does something different to others in the group, he is said to be strange. I went into the forest and meditated for 10 days eating only vegetables and fruits twice a day- I have to be crazy. This girl doesn't want to be talking to, let alone paying to talk to a madman.

She is leaning back just a little slightly now.
From sheer experience I know the outcome and at least 10 different variable courses that I can walk out of this unscathed, as long as a spanner isn't thrown into the works.
"I discovered something very important when I meditated."
I notice a slight ease of tension in the girl, her interest is back. I'm playing with her comfort zone.
"What?" She predictably responds. I give her answer number 1.
"I discovered, I really like meat. Now give me your hand, I'm hungry!"
She giggles and jumps back as I reach for her hand and try to take a bite.