People Watching at the Mall

Here are my accounts from Ridgedale Mall, quietly observing and inferring about people and events that happened around me.

An Indian man is at the Crocs stand buying shoes for his middle school son, who has desires to be elsewhere.  He asks his son questions about the preferences on the shoes, and gets annoyed by the one word responses.  The man talks with the saleswoman about the shoes while the son plays with his. Kendama.  He is balding, early fifties, first generation American, with a good enough career to support a family, but is tired from work.  He wants his son to succeed and will soon be a helicopter parent pushing his child to academic excellence.  They finally settle on a pair and the saleswoman checks them out.  The man starts to leave, the son waits for a moment, distracted, then follows ten paces behind, not wanting to associate with his father.

The mall security guard paces the center rotunda of the mall.  Only a few shoppers ask him questions. He answers them easily with a small gesture in the direction of what they are looking for.  The job is monotonous, and tonight is a quiet week night, the same as any other.  He stops to watch the football game playing on one of the televisions at an electronics kiosk.  There is little interest in either team playing, but it helps pass the time until he gets off work.  He isn't overly excited about his job, but without a college degree he doesn't know where else he could work.  He is neither married, nor has any children. The representative at the kiosk comes over and talks to him.  They know each other, but are not friends.  After making small talk about the game for a minute the sales rep is pulled back to work by a customer. The security guard realizes he should make another round as well.  Suddenly cold, he zips up his jacket with SECURITY printed in large white letters on the back and walks off.

A family of five walks by me into Macy's.  They are going to their Lexus crossover parked outside in the Macy's lot.  The mother and three daughters, all under 10, are dressed nicely.  The mother talks with her oldest about which of her jackets would go best with her beret.  She is a housewife in her mid-thirties who has never worked a day in her life.  Her parents were well off and paid her way through college.  However, she got married right after graduating and never got a job.    She dresses nicely because of the attention it gets her and because she can.  The husband is the opposite.  He works hard, and easily makes enough to support the high standard of living for his family.  He travels a lot and doesn't get to see his girls as much as he would like.  When he is home he would rather be comfortable than look good.  His t-shirt and sweatpants contrast the suit he wears to work every day.  They head home all having enjoyed the night out.

The events told are all true, I have filled in the surrounding details because it's interesting and fun!  Go out and people watch, make up stories about the people you see.