Mallrat.

I made an impromptu jaunt to the local mall yesterday. I hadn't been in quite some time (it's tough to get out when you don't drive), and to be honest, I'd forgotten just how much I actually enjoy being there. It's not about the stores themselves, particularly, or even the "shopping experience", although I must admit that a certain level of catharsis is felt when indulging my terrible habit of impulse buying. I feel so invigorated and alive when I shirk any semblance of rational responsibility for the prospect of a simple pleasure. That's one plus, however selfish. I also like the feeling of being "lost" in public, though not outdoors. I can't stand the city, but I revel in the bustle of an irrational number of people indoors. It's strange and a little hard to describe accurately, but it's definitely there, and surely a contributing factor.

During my uncalled-for contribution to consumerism, I was accosted by a young Mediterranean woman, named Esther. She prompty approached me, and with a thick accent, proceeded to inform me about the product she was peddling from the Dead Sea. (I won't go into her reaction to my name.) She grabbed my hands and coated them with coarse, granular sea-salt, for the purpose of cleaning them. She idly asked how old I was, and I replied "31". She expressed her disbelief, and said that I looked "great" (Yes!). She then hit me with the obligitory "Do you have a girlfriend?". (I say "obligitory" because she would clearly never even attempt to sell so feminine a product to a specimen so masculine, lest he had said "girlfriend".) I replied "Nope.", to which she stopped her presentation altogether. Eyebrows all scrunched, as though my statement were incredulous, she simply asked "How?" (Yes!!).

I'm sure that it is well within her job description to flatter any fellow who is fool enough to walk past their kiosk and make even passing eye contact with them, however, the encounter still put a spring in my step. She was not an attractive young lady by any means, but I walked away feeling younger, and more confident. A badly needed pair of new jeans was not the only thing I left with that day. Suddenly, I was imbued with good posture, a cool demeanor and a smug expression. (At least for the duration of the bus ride home.)