A Seat by the Window

 

It was a great spot.  From there I could see the mall walkers making their way around, I could see and hear the metal storefront gates rising and being unlocked for the day and I could certainly smell the coffee from Starbucks two shops away.

Most stores wouldn’t open for another thirty minutes, so the mall walkers had free range to go around and around and it made no difference what the weather was doing outside, in here it was dry, warm and so far, peaceful.  No crazy crowds anxious to buy whatever had flashed before them on their televisions the night before.

I flipped open my laptop and watched it awaken with a beautiful beach picture.  It was obviously an artist’s rendering, as the sand was clean, the water clear and the sun was glimmering off the breaking waves.  The few times I’ve been down to the beach it was so crowded you couldn’t even see the sand, and the rest of the population was still circling in search of a parking spot.

I’m not sure why I like it here by the window.  Most of the time it is hard to get any writing done, simply because I sit here and people watch.  For example, this one mall walker looks like he’ll be lucky to make it a few more steps.

And there he goes.  He just swerved towards that bench and collapsed.  No one else seems concerned.  Those closest to him just kept walking.  They’re not even looking back.  The group of three coming up are too busy talking to each other, so I doubt they will pause to check on him.  I guess I should walk over there, no – wait.  The T-Mobile kid is heading his way.  He’s probably going to try to sell him some lame phone deal.  “Yes, revive him and get him to sign the 3-year contract.  What a schmuck.”

OK, back to work.  I could write about the architecture within this mall.  It really is quite amazing.  There are skylights that are angled to illuminate areas where you’d never expect to see sunlight.   The support columns look like giant hands, holding up the ceiling, and the walking path that runs past the shops looks like an old cobblestone street in Europe.  There are lamp posts with real flickering flames and classical music quietly playing in the background.  Someone put some thought into this place.  People don’t just come here to shop, they come to hang around, spend the day.  And guess what?  They end up spending more money.

Oops, it looks like the paramedics have shown up for the guy on the bench.  Maybe that T-Mobile kid wasn’t a schmuck after all, and yet now he is saying something to the paramedics and pointing at me.  What did I have to do with anything?  I looked back down at my laptop.  I figured I'd just ignore them.

I brought up a file I had been working on and read what I had written so far.  Then suddenly I felt someone standing right next to me.  Sure enough, the two paramedics had come over and one of them was reading my laptop over my shoulder.

"Can I help you gentlemen"  I said, and calmly closed my computer and scooted my chair away from the table a little.

"Did you happen to see anyone around that man on the bench, either before he collapsed or right after?"

"He looked to be just one of the mall walkers.  There were a couple other walkers by him but I don't know that they were together.  They kept walking when he flopped onto the bench."

"Was one of them an older woman, wearing a green jacket and green jogging pants, carrying several packages?"

"I did notice her.  It caught my attention because all the packages looked to be the same.  I think they were all bathroom scales, and I wondered, not only what someone would want with five scales, but how did she get them.  Most stores were still just opening up for the day."

It was then I took a closer look at their uniforms.  They weren't paramedics at all.  These guys were cops.  Then I looked back out towards the bench.  The old man was gone.

"What's this all about" I asked them.  That's when one of the cops pulled a picture from his back pocket and set in down in front of me.

"Have you seen this before?"

"Yes, I've seen that.  It's that little castle in the center of the mall.  I think it's for the kids to play in."

"We believe the old man who collapsed on the bench out there is in cahoots with the green, scaly one who keeps going around and around that castle.  Her name is, Carp, Agnes Carp.  She got away from us this time, but when we catch up with her, she's going to spend a few days in the tank.  And trust me, he's no angel either."