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Monday, October 24, 2011

Tipped Off 2: Machete Man

          This story is similar to the last in that it is about tipping, but the scenario is entirely different. This story took place on an island that my family and I were dropped off on during a cruise. No I don't know the name of the island, I just know it wasn't in the US. Anyway, as my family and I were being driven to the beach of the island, I noticed a man sitting on the side of the road with a pile of coconuts and a machete. What he was doing was making tropical drinks out of the coconuts and opening them with the machete. I had to have one.
          When I was done swimming in the water I asked my mom if I could have money to get a coconut drink from the guy. She gave me the money and I ran over to see the guy on the side of the road. After asking for one, the guy picked up a coconut from the pile and placed it on the log in front of him. He than took the machete and started hacking into it until he made a small opening. He told me to come back when I finished drinking so he could split the coconut open. I paid the man what he asked for and started to turn away with my drink.
          "Hey" he said while raising his machete at me "you no give tip". "Tip?" I thought to myself "Why does he want a tip? The money I paid for the coconut goes straight to him, it's not like he has a boss collecting the sale. Further more, who the hell comes right out and asks for a tip?". I kept my thoughts to myself though and tipped the guy while saying "oh sorry". I'm not about to get into an argument or fight with a guy holding a machete. I than went to the water to enjoy my drink.
          When I was done I remembered that the guy had told me to come back so he could cut the coconut open for me. I made my way to his spot and handed him the coconut. "What took you so long?" he asked as he started to cut into my drink. I explained to him that I had been in the water. When he was done I grabbed the coconut and started to turn. "You no give tip again?" he said while lifting his machete with an irritated look on his face. "Really?" I thought "Is this guy seriously asking for a second tip?".
          As badly as I wanted to walk away, his machete persuaded me to give him something. I reached into my pocket to see if I had even had any money left. I ended up pulling out a single dollar bill. "Oh my God" I thought "I'm going to be decapitated". I handed him the dollar while apologizing that I didn't have more. With an annoyed look he took the dollar from my hand and I went back to the water. I didn't tell my parents about what happened until later.

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