Had a related experience this afternoon, and after thinking about it, it was pretty darn funny.
After work, I stopped by local Asian massage parlor to see my usual masseuse. I wasn't going for the happy ending, just the shower and half-hour quick massage. Everything was going great, nice and warm and relaxing. Heard another customer come through the front door, they have a door chime that went off. Didn't think anything about it, just kept my eyes closed and kept relaxing.
Just before my half-hour was up, I was startled when the door opened and the mamasan came into the room with us. Nothing was going on, I was still on my stomach with my butt on display, it's just VERY unusual to be interrupted at this place. She knelt down in front of my face at the table, and in unintelligible English/Chinese asks me a question. I looked confused, tried to make sense of what she was saying, but didn't have any luck. I looked at her quizzically, and she repeated herself, pointing out the front door to the parking lot (strip mall type location) and making this 'blink blink' gesture with her fingers in front of very wide eyes. I thought I heard the word 'lights', so I assumed she was asking me if I had left my headlights on when I parked. With the time change, it now gets dark right after work. That's the only possible translation I could come up with.
So I told her no, I parked at the other end of the lot, it wasn't my car. I kind of waved 'far away' and smiled at her. She repeated herself again, pointing at the front door and making 'blink blink' motions in front of her eyes and I distinctly heard 'light' again. I said 'no, it's ok, not mine' and smiled again. She finally got to her feet and left, closing the door.
We finished the massage, for legal reasons I take the 5th on whether or not there was a happy ending involved
, and the masseuse left the room so I could dress. I did, and headed out front to pay and tip my masseuse. I kind of glanced out the front, and sure enough there was a minivan parked a few space down from the door with its lights on. I smiled, paid, and they both tried to tell me something but again I couldn't understand them. I just smiled and waved, politely declined the bottled water and headed out the door.
As it happened, my path to my car took me past the minivan with the lights on. I could see that there was a female in the driver's seat, which I thought was odd, but just wrote it off to the fact that maybe she had just gotten back to her car to turn the lights off. I didn't think anything else of it, just went on my way. I stopped at the grocery on the way home and got stuff to make for dinner, and headed home.
Then it came to me what they were trying to tell me the whole time - that lady in the minivan was looking for someone, her husband presumably, and they were both trying to warn me of the angry female lying in wait for the wayward husband!! I laughed at remembering the other guy who came into the shop, and laughed even harder when I realized how I must have appeared to these ladies. They were trying to warn me of danger, and I just smiled and blew it off! I waved it away and never looked worried at all.
They must think I'm an idiot. Maybe I am. Or maybe I just need to learn Chinese so I can understand them