Waiting for Lunch

As I was sitting at the mall food court the other Saturday I observed a mother and a little boy. She wasn’t older than 21 and he was 2 something. They walked by me and the boy was all jumpy and excited because they were heading to the game arcade and he was thrilled with all the lights and fun that was ahead of him. He screamed, jumped and pulled his mom by the hand. I was also thrilled to see his way of expressing his pleasure; however, his mother was not. Every time he jerked her arm she scolded him and did not spread one smile. It pained me to see how someone could not be happy at someone else’s contentment. She was his mother; shouldn’t she have been a little bit pleased because her son was filled with joy? Perhaps she was going through this situation alone. The thought of her being a single mom crossed my mind. Soon enough they mixed into the flashing lights and the scene before my eyes changed.

My attention moved over to a man in his late 30s that sat at the empty table beside me. A few seconds later he was joined by three small kids between the ages of 2 -5 and a woman in her mid-twenties who was expecting a baby. I figured they were his family. They were wearing worn out clothes jumping all over that father to get a peak at the menu that he was studying. The kids were eventually hungry and anxious to find out what they’d be eating. The father looked angry and tired and the mother looked lifeless. The kids, however, looked overwhelmed and thrilled to be there at that very moment. The man said nothing. He just read the menu, dropped it on the table, got up and walked away. The kids asked their mom if they were going to eat there. The mother said no and told them to follow their dad. It was a sad scene. It was obvious to me that they couldn’t afford a meal from the roasted potato place, which was the menu they were checking out. It made me wonder why this couple, whom to my judgment were not satisfied with their present situation, would even have another child. The way the father just got up and walked away reminded me of other cultures where the man is the head and the wife follow form a distance. Even though the kids did not understand what was going on, they obeyed with smiles on their faces.

While I kept my eye on the LCD screen above the counter of the restaurant I had ordered from which was taking forever, I noticed another mother and child. This time the mother was not holding the son’s hand. The mother was in her 30s and the son was around 6 or 7. He was obviously hyperactive. He was jumping around, running, sliding and extremely energetic. What called my attention was that he was wearing a costume. It was in two different shades of blue, there was a mask and a funny hat. He was wearing it over a pair of jeans and a plain sweater, nothing similar to any super hero that I had seen in my lifetime. The mother got in the lineup to order their lunch and from time to time she would holler his name and call his attention, but to her it seemed like it was something regular that she was used to doing. In my mind I wondered what was running through his mind. He could be anybody he wanted to be in that costume, have a different identity and even imagine that he was invisible in that immense food court, for him evidently because when we are small the world seems huge. There were other kids that walked by him and gave him funny looks. Guess they deep down inside wished they could also be pretending to be a super person.

All these events took place during my 15-minute wait. Finally my numbered was called and while I ate my simple but delicious lunch I wondered why these adults were so unhappy adults. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and spending time with the ones you love is supposed to mean something much greater than money or problems. The smiles on the faces of these special kids, I observed, perhaps because they were in that playground or simply because they were happy just to be with their family; made me smile too and I shared their happiness.

(I am a people watcher. I like observing others and wondering what they do and other aspects of their lives. I have been this way ever since I was a child.)

( written June 18, 2012)
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