Nobody has black eyes

I was walking on Berkeley's rather famous Telegraph Avenue. There are some roadside shopkeepers, alongside their carts. My friend was taking money out of a nearby ATM, so I started looking at a cart carrying ear-rings, for time pass. This seller comes near me, almost silently, and asks

"What color are her eyes?"

I was a bit taken aback, so I just murmured "Oh, I am just looking".

"No, what color are her eyes?", he insisted.

I thought when I have all this time, let me humor him. "Black", I replied.

"Nobody has black eyes" he argued "they must be dark brown"
"Ok, dark brown, maybe" I say, as I roll my eyes.

"Look at these ones, the green jade ear-rings, or these ones, they would look nice"

He then proceeded to tell me how I should present the ear ring (!), and I looked at him as if I were really listening hard. My friend joined me, with a smile, trying to understand what's going on.

"It's $10, and are you a student? It's $8 for students" he offered.

"I'll think, and come back" I concluded, and turned around trying to make a hasty exit.

His voice stopped me for one last time, and I turned back.

"Don't become a communist, be an engineer!"

The old man was trying to give me some message, as his last words, for he was sure I wasn't coming back. But why? And what exactly did he mean?

Maybe, just maybe, it takes a Ph.D. to figure that out! :-)


(a rehashed version of an email I sent out loooong time back! Just felt its appropriate today. Wonder why green ear-rings attract me so much! :-D )