Despair

This was taken in India 8 years ago.  Just too wet to venture out for a street  portrait.  

Every time our bus stopped the Indian guide advised us not to interact in anyway at all with the women selling their trinkets unless we intended to make a purchase.  He said we were to walk passed them as if they didn't exist.  It sounded harsh but I followed his advice.  Unfortunately, some members of our group ignored the advice and enthusiastically engaged with the women without a purchase.  

These women hung close to the bus with smiling faces waiting for a possible sale on our return, but no sale.  When the last of us was on the bus they crowded in the doorway shaking their goods to try and grab our interest in a last minute sale. I watched this woman's face change from enthusiasm to utter despair in a matter of seconds as hope of a sale disappeared. 

The memory of this incident will never leave me.   What made it worse was people on the bus haggling and beating the prices down as a kind of game.  The amounts they were asking were only small change to start with.  It was ugly to watch.  

Thanks KangaZu for hosting today's challenge.