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SNOWING IN BALI

My friends say, ‘You crazy if you use it to surf, what if you lose it?’

‘I don’t care, I’ll buy another one.’ I like to show off.

– Rafael

Despite his pockets bulging with more cash than most of the more distinguished-looking customers could ever afford to spend, the tattooed Brazilian didn’t always cut it with snooty shop assistants in high-end stores. They gave him plenty of Pretty Woman moments, looking down their noses, assuming he couldn’t pay and treating him rudely.

Once, passing through Amsterdam loaded with tens of thousands of euros, he went to look for a leather jacket. Casually dressed in jeans and a pair of flip-flops, with stubble on his chin and the tattoos on his arms exposed, he picked up a jacket and asked the price. It should have been a simple conversation – he didn’t really even care. But the sales girl insulted him, insisting she could only give the price to buyers and she felt he was just browsing.

Rafael saw red. She’d pricked his ego. He lashed out in a tirade: ‘Fuck you, bitch, who do you think you’re talking to?’ Rifling in his pockets, he pulled out a wad of €500 notes, waving them under her nose and shouting, ‘Do you know what these are? These are each worth US$600. See how many I have. You are really stupid. I come here to buy; your job is to sell. Now, I wanna talk to your manager.’

She was losing her poise, close to tears now. ‘Please don’t say anything, I’ll get fired.’

‘Yes, you’re gonna get fired. You fuck with me, now I’m gonna fuck with you.’

When the manager came and tried to cool the situation, Rafael ranted, ‘This fucking bitch doesn’t want to serve me. I don’t want to deal with her anymore.’