A barber thought he saw “A ghost!”

March 2, 1996, I came back to Mariposa, the tourist town I have been residing.

This is a small community. A city with population less than 1,800, literally every body knows every body.

When I was out to search the cure in China, the words spread that “the China-man in Midpines got liver cancer! He was finished.”  I did not know how the rumor passed on from one to another. The entire story would be twisted from common cold to “cancer.”

One day I went Jamey’s Barber shop.

An old shop on main street next to the Gas station. The building is about 10’x10’ size with one barber chair only. 4 foldable chair in line against wall with their appearance like they  were collected from Garage Sale.

Old magazines piled up on a small coffee table which , I suppose, was also from same source. All kind of old post were hanging on the wall, some of them with humorous remarks.

Nothing fancy. Typical American style you can even smell like the country Western Barber

I like particularly the small sticker hanging with following scrip:

                         There is  no    Damn reason  

For it.  It is just our Policy !     

“Hi,Jamey, How are you doing?”

“Hi, Michael! I thought you couldn’t make it!”

He greeted me with the expression like he saw a ghost.

“I am all right. Just came back from a trip to China.”

I did not follow with much detail. But his remark has swing back and forth all the years in my mind. I guess lots of people around me might have the same thinking but refused to speak out of kindness.  Even my relatives might have same idea. They just say that “Michael has great and strong lifeline in his hand.

I don’t know about that.

I believe “Not all men are created equal.” 

Michael