People-Watching at the Mall

Call me a creep if you will. I don't agree. What else are malls good for? Shopping? Psh. Well, if you've never deigned to observe passersby in your local mall, then here are some stock characters whom you're sure to see:

-The cluster of absurdly noisy middle-school aged girls dressed from head to toe in Abercrombie & Fitch. You hear the phrase "OMG" spoken out loud at least ninety-two times as they go by.

-The couple holding hands, giggling, and looking completely unaware of the world.

-The man lurking awkwardly outside of the Gap or Ann Taylor Loft as he waits for his wife to finish shopping. He may or may not be clutching a large pile of shopping bags.

-The stressed-looking college student drinking coffee and staring intently at a laptop at a table in the book store.

-The woman being trailed by about seventeen children of assorted ages. She probably looks extremely hassled and is saying something like "No, Sarah, you may not run down the up escalator," or "Joey! Stop pulling your sister's hair!"

-The teenagers who are clutching massive plastic cups full of some kind of sugary frozen beverage and meandering past the stores at about 0.03 miles per hour.

-The businesswoman in the intimidating suit. Her purposeful stride makes it clear that she has somewhere important to be. She's not afraid to bulldoze the teenagers, the middle-school girls, or the giggling couple in her determined march, since she's in too much of a hurry to walk in anything but a perfectly straight line.