A few days ago, my wife and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I am not usually a big fan of eating at Cracker Barrel but I thought I'd go along and have some fun while I was there. We walked up to the little hostess stand and were greeted by this perky little brunette named Megan. She greeted us in the standard Cracker Barrel greeting and then asked "How many?" To which I replied, "Dos." Not missing a beat she told us to 'walk this way' so I followed her and walked just like she did; wiggling my butt through the restaurant to our seats.
I could go on with our Cracker Barrel experience but my point is this: I love to watch people and then I love to make fun of them. Over the years, people watching has become a hobby of mine. I love to go to our local mall, get a pretzel and lemonade from Auntie Anne's and then sit in the Eatery and watch people. Not in a creepy way; I just like to observe human behavior. It says so much about the society we live in.
Last night, Donna and I were on the shopping circuit and went to another one of our favorite mall venues. After we got done shopping, Donna suggested that I get a smoothie and sit down for a minute before we headed back home. That was her nice way of saying, "You've been a good boy while we were shopping, as a reward, I'll let you do some people watching before we go home." Thanks Sweetie!
So, she secured us a table in the little eatery area and after dealing with some rude Smoothie maker people, I finally joined her and sat down for a few moments of people watching. I could talk about the two old ladies who kept walking by our table leaving a trail of too much great-grandma perfume in their wake but instead I'll focus on the "gangster" who entertained me for a few moments.
I watched him walk toward us. His wide brimmed hat was tilted to the side and he walked with what I would call a sort of 'hop-walk' stride. You know, the way someone walks after a night of eating too many Jalapeno peppers. He wore a purple shirt that was unbuttoned revealing some heavy metal band t-shirt underneath. His blue jeans were halfway down his butt revealing some multi-colored boxers that I didn't need to see. Oh, he was cool alright. A regular teenage gangster. And then I noticed that he was trying to keep his distance from a woman who was walking a few steps ahead of him. As they approached our table, I saw him make eye contact with a group of other thugs who had assembled to our left. It was at this point that his mother turned to him and said, "I'll pick you up outside Sears at 9:30."
Oh he was so cool. But I have got some news for the wanna be gangster. Any boy who has to have his mother take him to and from the mall ain't no gangster. Now, having finished my Smoothie, we got up, held hands and navigated our way through the masses to our car. As we walked, I wondered if anyone was "people watching" us and, if they were, I wondered what they might be thinking. You never know who's watching. Maybe that's why mom always told me to make sure I was wearing clean underwear....
Be Well.
Bill
