Ninety Percent
(A phone shop on the high street. Wei puts his phone on the counter.)
Wei: The app won’t download. It just stops at ninety percent.
Fatima: Every time?
Wei: Every time. Since yesterday.
Fatima: Didn’t it update last week?
Wei: Maybe. I don’t really control these things.
Fatima: All right. Shall I try something?
Wei: Please.
(Fatima taps the screen a few times.)
Fatima: Okay, I’ve deleted the app, and now I’m downloading it again.
Wei: Will that fix it?
Fatima: Usually. It’s the oldest trick we have.
(They wait. The bar climbs to ninety percent. It stops.)
Wei: Ninety percent.
Fatima: Ninety percent.
Wei: So what’s the deal? Is my phone broken?
Fatima: No, your phone is fine. Their new product came out yesterday, and the app is broken. Half the town is standing at ninety percent right now.
Wei: So there’s nothing you can do?
Fatima: I can sell you a coffee while you wait for them to fix it.
Wei: All right. That’s the best deal I’ve had all day.