Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

At the Mall

I am not a mall person. I am not even a shopper. When I do shop, I flunk shopping, unlike any other female I know.

Luckily, when I was in school, in dinosaur time, there were no classes on going to the mall, shopping at the mall, or any such thing as mall walking. We did not have a mall around where we lived, which should be normal since the first mall was built in 1956. By the time the idea took hold in our neck'o the woods, I was pretty much grown up.

On the other hand, shopping aside, sitting inside the mall somewhere can be great for people watching. Today, I experienced again as I waited for hubby while he had his hair cut at the Treasure Coast Mall in Jensen.

I don't know why he likes going to the mall for this or anything else, especially on a Sunday. With the demise of Borders, there aren't any book stores there to lure me, yet I sneaked my Kindle inside my bag and I was good to go.

It was a crowded day, since there were some 20-40% sales all over the stores. After depositing my beloved at Mastercuts, I took a look at the comfy leather armchairs in front of Dillards. No luck. All seats were taken. I went into Dillards, toured the store, and came out. Still the seats were occupied. I spotted two empty wooden benches in the middle of the mall, aimed at those, and made it.

I took out the Kindle and began reading smugly. Nothing doing. First came an old man leaning on a cane and asked me to show him how Kindle worked. He was amazed that the fonts could be enlarged and made smaller. He even read some of the text for a while. Then, "I'll think about it," he said, and left. I think Amazon owes me now.

In the next few seconds, came the ding-a-ling sound of the mall choo-choo. Inside was only one little girl, her dark eyes sparkling with enchantment. She waved at me as the train went by. I waved back, delighted at the exchange.

Next time I raised my head from my reading, a young couple was sitting across from me, making out. All those cooing sounds...I wasn't even reading a romance novel. If I had, they would be providing the appropriate background sounds. That is when I noticed another woman sitting with legs crossed next to me on the bench.

First I caught sight of her sandaled foot swinging back and forth. With the corner of my eye, I saw her sitting sideways, looking toward the food court, trying to evade the sight of the couple, and making puffing sounds.

I guess the couple's attractions lured more shoppers our way. Suddenly, people were passing back and forth around us in crowds, blocking my view of Mastercuts. How would I know when hubby would be out!

The couple must have felt some discomfort from the excessive attention they were getting because they left abruptly. The lanes quieted down after a while, and suddenly the seat near me and the bench across were empty.

He should be here any minute now, I thought and looked toward Mastercuts. Nope, hubby was nowhere in sight. Just then a very beautiful young mother in a red floor-length dress --Was it chiffon? It looked like it—approached the bench.

"May I sit here?" she asked while she was already in the process of sitting. "Sure, please do," I said and moved over to the corner of the bench. I was worried she would change the baby or something. No, it wasn't diaper time. It was feeding time. Breast-feeding time.

I applaud women who breast-feed wherever they are. Really. A baby's nutrition should take precedence over all other concerns.

But that wasn't all. Again the lanes began crowding around us, people's heads turning to our bench as they passed by. I wonder why!

In another few minutes, a little blonde girl who must have just left the toddler stage ran toward us, screaming, "Mommy!" She was followed by a young man in a tee and shorts chasing after her. The little girl climbed next to me and leaned against her mommy, her little hands pinching the baby's foot.

In no way would I read now. More exciting things were going around me than the detective story I was into. I turned off the Kindle and put it in my bag. Still no beautiful vision of my hubby, but who is complaining!

When the family next to me left, a middle aged woman accompanied by an older one plopped wearily on the bench across from me. The middle-aged woman was dressed simply, but her shirt was a sparkling leopard print. I guess that print made up for everything else. The older woman started berating middle-aged one for dragging her all over the mall and making her knees creak. A lively exchange was just beginning, but right then, hubby emerged out of Mastercuts.

Couldn't he have waited another five minutes for me to take in all the scolding across from me?

Maybe I'll go live in the mall now.