Category: People Watching Stories

I spoke with a man who loved his craft, creating jewelry out of stones and wire wrapping found objects. He had a story for every piece he selected. He said his wife was the business savvy one in the pair. She had a logical brain and could handle the numbers. He just liked to create.

When I glanced at her, she was telling a story about one of the pieces she had made. It was a rock spider with legs and details made from wrapped wire. It sounds cumbersome, but it was delicately beautiful. The story originated from a Christmas family experience of finding a spider in their freshly cut tree one year. It turned out to be a lucky spider and she wanted to give other’s the gift of luck. So, she made the Christmas Tree Spider.

I was at the mall when a mother walked by me. She had three little ones circling her, whining, crying, and screaming. The one in the stroller was the loudest. She stopped, leaned over the stroller edge. Her tired stare connected with mine when she cuddled the little one to her chest.

I wiggled my nose, blinked my eyes, and a musician in black performance dress sat at the nearby piano. The acoustics around the small landing aided her classical song and the children were mesmerized. After a moment, the children smiled.

The mother placed her quiet baby back in the stroller and escorted the dancing, twirling, children onward.

I was late in meeting a friend at the coffee house down the street. When I sat at the table, she leaned close to me and said, “See the couple over there at that table for two. I heard the barista wishing them a happy forty-fifth anniversary. They sat down and haven’t said a word to each other since. Could you imagine not having anything to say after so many years?”

I spotted their fingers intertwined. The man’s thumb caressed the lady’s knuckles.

I said, “I hope we are that lucky too.”

At breakfast this morning, there was a group of women who spoke over each other when the waiter approached the table. He turned, a frown formed on his face, and he rushed off like he had caught fire.

To my surprise, the waiter returned with the orders and placed them correctly in front of his customers. They all paused in their yammering to applaud.

Another bright day on the Eastside of Seattle, I ran my family errands. I couldn’t help but notice a number of plaid shirts in the crowds. So many, I wondered, is there a convention giving awards?

I packed my mini with the things I bought at the craft store, my new projects on my mind. I slammed the tailgate, stood straighter, and noticed a woman on the other side of the semi-crowded parking lot dressed in athletic clothes. She had a flushed complexion, a sheer layer of sweat covered her skin. She held her arms straight out in front of her. A gift tower with a tiny teal bow on top sat in her hands. Once out of the parking lot, she began to run, but held the gifts far away from her body.

I wiggled my nose, blinked my eyes, and climbed into my car. I happened to head in the same direction of the runner. When I turned the corner, two children held open packages in their hands, had huge smiles on their faces, and hugged a sweaty woman in their arms.

I returned to my car after I purchased my hot breakfast coffee and noticed a handrail thin young man in a worn blue hoodie. The raindrops on my windshield didn’t obscure his droopy pants when he strutted by the front of my car. Smoke and steam billowed from his nostrils appearing like horns of a bull.

I wiggled my nose, blinked my eyes, and glanced over my shoulder following his path. He hooked arms with a woman in a red cape.

There’s a man I see every morning during my commute time. He carries a peanut butter colored, 1970’s styled briefcase. He’s usually dressed sharp and his path is determined. When he walks, it’s more like a march. When he runs, it’s more like a prance. He never moves his upper body.

I wiggled my nose, blinked my eyes, and pulled into the local grocery store. I saw the man march up to a sign spinner. She had earphones and was wiggling to her own beat. He tapped her on the shoulder, their eyes met, and she kissed him on the cheek.

Monday morning, I was sitting and glancing through The Book Thief. I looked up to notice a woman teetering on velvet wrapped, black heeled boots. Her face reflected her discomfort. She huffed when she passed. I think, I heard a whimper.

I wiggled my nose, blinked my eyes, and spotted a man behind the check-out counter. He smiled at the woman, she frowned. After she put the books down on the counter, he complimented her on her fashion sense. He appreciated her coordinated outfit.

She stood taller with her shoulders back and strutted out the store.

The sun was out, birds were flying, and the sky was blue. This is something rare in Seattle. I was driving at ten in the morning and spotted a woman at the bus stop. She was dressed in a three piece suit and heels. On her shoulders, she carried three differently colored bags loaded to bust. Her beat expression conveyed that she wasn’t enjoying the good weather.

I wiggled my nose, blinked my eyes, and when I glanced into the rearview mirror, a man in a clown suit offered her a flower and shouldered two of her bags.