Mistaken for an Italian

I wondered how long it would take. For me to be mistaken for an Italian while walking on a street in Italy. Just four days, it turns out. Happened today. A man approached me on a street in Carbonia in Sardinia and started talking to me in Italian. Of course, I impressed him with my knowledge of the words ‘stupido asino,’ which translates to what I and other people occasionally call me. A stupid ass. I explained I don’t talk much Italian. But that I’m trying to learn. So please forgive me. Anyway, we had a conversation. In his broken English. In my broken Italian. I thought maybe he was looking for a place and that he was gonna ask me for directions. Instead, he wanted to give me a religious pamphlet. I think he was a Jehovah’s Witness. –Jim Broede