Mall Encounters

-Most of you have seen my AmericaxReader insert and I decided, "Hey, why don't I go to the mall and people watch today?" Much different from what happened in the story, this is my account of what happened.-

           *at the mall on a mission to read my book and people watch*

After I ordered my usual drink at Starbucks, I went to the outside lounge to read "How to Analyze People on Sight Through the Science of Human Analysis". As I read, I'd glance up occasionally to the few people that would join me outside in the cold. It was slightly windy with a chill but not exactly uncomfortable. One person that caught my interest was a short stalked man with very light ginger hair, his age looking about early to mid thirties. I'd glance up from my work to noticed he'd go into the café and get water and sit, sometimes dozing. I wondered if he had had a hard day or if he was just tired. He was dressed in jeans,  white shoes and a bluish jacket. Occasionally he'd look around at people walking by or when there were very loud, disruptive noises. I wanted to go over and talk to him but then he got up and left.

I had been sitting there for at least an hour and that amount of time with a large order of coffee called for a bathroom break. I grabbed my things and headed off to the food court's restroom to relieve nature. As I was walking back down the stairs, I noticed it was the same guy sitting at the bottom, smoking a cigarette. My curiosity took over and with my social graces of meeting strangers (I've gotten better with this), I introduced myself. "Hi, were you sitting over at the Starbucks earlier?" He replied "Yeah I was." I sat down next to him and just started talking.

"So I noticed you were falling asleep there, have you had a hard day?" "No" he said. "Or is it just one of those days where you're just tired?" He nodded "Yeah, just one of those." (I'm going to refer to him as D. because I don't want to reveal his true name). I found out that D. was 23 years old and homeless, only living day to day by getting enough so he can survive. As the conversation continued, he told me about why he was where he was.

D.  was raised to be proper (he's pure Irish, his grandparents were the first to migrate to America). One of his heroes as a kid was Arnold Schwarzenegger because he loved to work out (I understood this right away because from my book, one of the types of people was the Muscular type, known for their muscles and Irish are known for being this type of person. They fight more often and have a short temper which will be seen later on here). As he got older, he wanted to go into medical, more specifically an anesthesiologist, in the military (I had asked him what he wanted to be as he got older). He had dropped out of high school but because of the economy, many people had flooded the enlisting and the military was forced to make cut backs, one being that the person enlisting had to have finished high school or have Gds done, which are basic college classes.  He had some of his Gds done but was kicked out after 6 months because at the time he had had a girlfriend and that school didn't allow physical contact between both genders (he and his girlfriend were caught together a few times). Now he has no work and tells me that he's just trying to get better because he is sick.

When we began talking , the first thing D. told me was that he was sick. That was because he is a heroin addict and that he has three felonies and a warrant after him for his arrest (I was slightly concerned at this but I was in a public place). He asked me. "You aren't a cop, are you?" I shook my head and laughed. "No, I'm still too young for most jobs." He seemed like he really did want to stop and told me that he was clean for a year before the last few months. He even showed me his arms where the needle puncture wounds were. He told me it gives him paranoia and he feels like he always has the flu. He went into description of what his felonies were (which I will keep to myself to protect myself and D.). The authorities had classified him as mental (as he told me) and that he was a dangerous man. I looked up at the moment to see a posse of mall security guards walking by and in a hushed voice I asked him, "Doesn't seeing these guards scare you?" He looked to me and nodded, replying, "Yeah but I can keep my cool." He explained to me that today was just going to hang out where ever and turn himself in tomorrow, seeing that he had only gotten out of jail (there for a year) before his latest felony occurred (he might be in there for twenty years, he says)

Our conversation came to an end when D.'s friend came up, telling him it was time to go. I shook D.'s hand saying, "I hope you figure it out. You're only 23." He nodded and said, "Thanks. Maybe I'll see you around." I waved and then walked off to catch my bus ride home. I understood that he just wanted someone to talk to and I felt honored to be able to listen to his story without being biased. I determined that he was sound of mind but because of the choices he had made, he has a lot to fix and work up in the years ahead. I pray that he makes the right choices soon (there is some doubt though, because of how he was acting, you had to be there). I believe he just wanted someone to listen to him and I'm glad I did.