a woman walks into a bank...

No joke- my local bank is fabulous. It's still less than two years old and it's a beacon for this nation's development. It's also a fun place to spend some time.

I went to the bank of Friday afternoon because my ATM card wasn't working. Walking through the glass doors into the air-con building, I noticed the normal 13:1 ratio of staff to customers. I took a ticket at the machine and waited patiently for about seven seconds until someone made the screen flash in the customer service area indicating I should go Teller 3. (My usual.)

A short aside... for this next bit to make any sense you need to know that the Khmer has a cute number for a PIN. It's a "secret number". PIN sounds a little cold. A secret-number-mystery-code fits with my Mission Impossible in this Wild West region of Cambodia. Much more exciting!

Back to the story... I explained my ATM issues with the young woman at Teller 3.

She asks: Do you have a PIN (secret number)?
A say: Yes
She asks: Do you remember you PIN?
I reply: Yes... but I can't tell you... because it's a secret.

I grin....and wait for her to roll her eyes, groan or simply say, "You. Are. An Idiot." Instead, she chuckles. In fact, the other staff all burst out laughing like it's the best thing they've heard on a Friday afternoon twenty minutes before closing. One of the other employees gives his commentary just in case anyone missed it, "The foreigner comes in, speaks Khmer and says she can't tell her secret number... because it's a secret. Hahaha!"

Teller 3 works with me through my cash withdrawal problems until my banking ills have been cured. In between we chat and joke around. I leave 40 minutes later feeling very satisfied that a) I've enjoyed the visit b) I've got cash for the next month and c) I've kept my secret.