The one with the knife

This blog is another shameless Grahamstown plug, I'm afraid!

Yesterday I was waiting for someone on the street outside my block of flats. I got an sms to say that they were going to be late so I walked back into the flats, past some workmen who were working on the front of the building, preparing to paint or something.

I caught their eyes as I walked past, so I greeted them. One of the guys called me over and asked me if he could borrow a knife.

Borrow a knife?

So I thought that maybe they wanted a butter knife. For sandwiches. In which case I would be entirely happy lending it to them. Then I thought, maybe they need a knife to scrape paint off the wall. Because that is what they were doing. In which case I do not want to lend them a knife, because it will get messed up. Then I thought, perhaps they want a knife to stab me with. And then I definitely don't want to lend them a knife.

So I asked them what they wanted to use the knife for. And they kind of mumbled about. So I persisted because I didn't want to lend them a knife to be destroyed scraping a wall and I most certainly didn't want to give them a knife to, uh, knife me with. Also, I wanted to know what kind of knife they wanted. Eventually they came out with it - they wanted it to peel a pineapple with.

Okay.

So I walked upstairs and as I got a little bit past them they turned to each other, made some comments and laughed. Probably because of the ridiculous girl who was scared to lend them a knife in case they stabbed her. Embarassing.

After having a laugh at what I expect was my expense, one of the guys followed me to fetch the knife.

And as I was walking I thought, oh dear, I hope this guy doesn't actually have bad intentions. Because a strange man is following me into my home and I am going to give him a knife with pineapple cutting capabilities.

But I was pretty sure it would be fine.

So I lent the guy a knife.

And he took it and they cut their pineapple.

And returned it.

Yayi for living in a town where I don't have to feel scared lending knives to strangers.