Arguing mangoes :: Draft

Once I witnessed two shaykhs, worlds apart, arguing about mangoes.

The one, a big bombastic South African man. Used to getting his way by being the loudest and the bulliest. The other, a wizened old man from Pakistan. With a wispy white beard befitting a wizard from the stories.

Their children bewedded, community fathers sitting side by side.

A community member, with a countenance of great glee presented a mango to them. A South African mango. A declaration was made with that specific piece of information: “Shaykhs, here is a South African mango, from Natal. Is it not a great one?”.

Gears were set in motion. Two men sat up slightly straighter. The wise old man started by declaring outright, that South African mangoes have nothing, nay nothing, on mangoes from Pakistan. Those are the real ones. Those are the ones worth measuring.

The big man laughed heartily, and stated that the pride for Pakistani mangoes always amused him greatly. How they would never be able to accept that South African mangoes are superior.

It was a dumb argument.

I knew it. The big man did not. The wise one - he knew it too. We locked eyes while his voice got louder and more persistent.

Those eyes, were soft and quiet.

Later I asked him. Shaykh, why did you enter into that argument?

“Because if we don’t fight about the mangoes, we will fight about the real differences. This way, is kinder.”