Julia was in a panic. She was supposed to meet her girlfriends at the nightclub in half an
hour, and she had a huge zit on her nose. She wanted to meet some cute guys, but with
the huge red pimple on her nose she was bound to get stuck with the losers.
She was walking through Chinatown on her way to the club, and saw the ointment store.
Julia had heard that traditional Chinese medicine was far more advanced than Western
medicine, and thought that maybe the old man inside the shop would have something to
help her.
The old man eyed Julia as she walked in. She was petite - not more than 5'1" or so - with
bleached blonde hair, a low-cut top showing off her ample cleavage, an almost
indecently-short skirt, and stiletto heels. She looked like she was in her early twenties,
although she was actually only 19. She had a large, angry-looking pimple on her small
nose.
"Excuse me," she said, "do you have anything that can get rid of this, um, 'blemish' in the
next half-hour?"
The old man looked at her for an uncomfortably long time. Julia was about to say
something else, wondering if perhaps the old man didn't understand her, when he
suddenly spoke.
"I have just the thing," he said, in perfect English, "but you must be careful with it - it is
very powerful."
He pulled a jar of white paste off of a high shelf. "This is blemish removal cream," he said,
"and it will remove any spots, hairs, or other imperfections that you want. Simply apply it
to the area, and leave it on for thirty minutes. The imperfection will start to shrink after
one minute, and in thirty minutes it will be totally gone..."
"Perfect!" Julia interrupted, "How much?"
"Ten dollars," said the old man, "but you must make sure you apply it ONLY to the spot
you wish to clear up, and you must wash your hands immediately. Otherwise..."
Julia interrupted again. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a big hurry. Here's $10, thanks so much!"
She grabbed the jar of ointment and rushed out the door.
The old man sighed, almost succeeding in hiding the faint smirk that played across his
lips.