I usually have a dim attitude towards other people, after having been steadily surprised at the stupidity and selfishness of the general human race. I keep forgetting that intelligence does not equal common sense. Like printing the letters on my keyboard keys so that they wear off in a few weeks of usage, yet the computer company has a good name. I wonder what dolt came up with that cost saving idea?
So, I went to the local mall on a chore that needed to be accomplished, expecting to wend my way through the mindless masses that will not get out of each others way. (Mall psychology = do not move out of anyone’s way until the last possible second, if at all and then act irritated if bumped into.)
I single-mindedly completed the task, which was to get new nose pieces for my glasses and had my first glimmer that something might be different today. I walked into an optical store that not only actually had the vinyl pieces, but the pleasant lady not only installed them on my glasses, but cleaned my lenses and charged me nothing!!
I was so staggered by this bit of unaccustomed pleasantry that I almost forgot to thank her profusely! I actually walked out of the business smiling! (Which probably shocked anyone who knows me that saw me.)
I stopped in a Barney’s and got a cup of their good coffee from an unsmiling girl at the counter who barely spoke to me. She was shorter than I and outweighed me by about 150 pounds. That dampened my mood quickly but the taste of the coffee brought it back up a notch. I like good coffee. As I wandered out of the mall to the smoking area, pissed off that they will not let you smoke and enjoy good coffee inside, I spotted a young mother and her 3 darling little girls. The oldest must have been 4, the beautiful, and I mean beautiful! mom had to be about 28. The girls were making an excited b-line for a cluster of mechanical rides and Mom was barely, but good naturedly keeping up with them. This made me smile. (Damn! She was pretty! Dark haired and no scowl lines around her mouth and eyes!)
Outside I sat on a covered bench and sipped coffee and watched teens cluster to get into the attached movie house and they were NICE! No ‘wuz up homey,’ ‘wazzzzzzzz happenin,’ ’ who ‘dat,’ 'YOU (missing ‘ve) godda see dat,’ no loud music, no swearing, no being assholes. They were having fun but were cool. I was pleased as I scraped a wad of chewing gum off of the arm of the bench with my knife and scraped it onto the leg. That did not even piss me off, though my arm had stuck to it briefly.
I finished my coffee noticing how cute the teens looked and recalling how it was when I was young and full of it. The girls, naturally, looked better than the boys, who were working hard to impress the girls. Bell bottoms, I noticed, for the girls, are ‘in.’ Ghetto pants, unfortunately, for the boys are still in.
I cheered up and returned to the mall, after disposing of my coffee cup and noticed that the place seemed to be full of good looking men and women, people were smiling, having a good time, dressing nice, no one was causing a fuss or walking around looking like they wanted a fight, and the food court of the place smelled good. People were sitting at tables, eating and conversing and being nice to each other. Kids were around and chattering happily but not screaming or running all over the place and being pain in the asses to everyone. The parents had them under control.
I left the mall bemused and in a good mood.
Was that surreal? Was it real? Whatever it was, I loved it. I hope to run into it again the next time I hit the mall.
Damn! I almost cracked my face from smiling.
