Ah, 7 Eleven, you provide me with much in the way of people-watching opportunities. Not that I generally do so much in the way of observation outside of what’s required to satisfy my “where’s my coffee” based mission… but you do look at the people around you and if you’re anything like me, you generate stories for those faces and bodies surrounding you.
Today in the midst of late-morning breakfast-hunters and work-seeking dayjobbers there was one woman with majestic white hair, who would probably be accurately called “sturdy, yet feminine”. She reminded me of some artsy and eccentric aunt who probably curses a lot and talks unabashedly of her sex Life and never got married but never broke out in cats and perhaps spends a lot of time welding.
Alas, there are no welding supplies at the Sleven to prove my theories right or wrong, and she didn’t pick up a pack of Magnums (a side note: a 7 Eleven a couple of weeks ago provided a fascinated discussion on condoms… as I was ducking into my local Heavy Metal Sleven [yes Chris, I have one too] there was a harried looking teenaged girl sort of slouched in an SUV in the parking lot and when I went inside there was a cluster of guys and one woman all discussing the pros and cons of the various condoms behind the counter – trying to help another teenager out with his first condom purchase… a memorable moment being when the kid asks about the Magnums and everyone goes quiet and the woman gives the kids a glance over and says… “iiiiii don’t think you need those”.)
Ahem. Enough tangent. In short, I was kind of satisfied to watch the above hard-yet-graceful woman duck into a DC-area cab with her acidic 7 Eleven coffee and peel out of the parking lot. I fantasize about some foolish man pulling a gun on her and receiving a knock-out fist in the face for his troubles…. I dream, I dream.
