Adventures at the Mall of Love
In search of a soul mate at the playground
It was a frosty winter day when Alesia and I decided to escape the domestic monotony for a bit and take refuge in the crowded but lively space of the mall. Although I am a person who shuns crowded places, this time I made an exception. The cold and the inevitable boredom gave us an impetus to explore the noisy alternative of the mall.
I even prepared specially for this escapade, combing my hair carefully. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the usual scenery: loud music, and a lot of people, but that’s it.
Allesia, my quiet blessing, didn’t run among strangers, so I was able to let her explore to her heart’s content, following close behind. We would stop by the windows, she would admire the skinny plastic mannequins, and then we would go to her favorite slide, the stone slide. I arrived at the playground.
While Allesia was happily going down the slide, I had the opportunity to witness an interesting scene of male courtship. A balding dad with an ex-athlete belly tried to engage with me, but I met him with caustic humor. Unworthy, he turned his attention to a pretty young woman overseeing a water playground with inflatable swans for rent.
“Don’t people really get into boats?” she asked the girl with a clear hint in her voice.
“Not really, it’s a bit boring,” she answered naively, not getting the hint.
Daddy was not discouraged. “Too bad, you’re so pretty… I’d give myself up just for you.”
The girl initially offered him a token for the boats, but the man asked for more — her phone number. Surprisingly, he got it! Looking at Dad’s satisfied smile as he entered the number into the phone, it was clear that “something clicked” there.
I don’t know if his wife knows about these mall courting habits of a husband, but I realized how outdated my own techniques are. Back in the day, we delighted our partners with warm poems and starry eyes.
Now, it’s straight to the point, with explicit invitations. The world has changed dear slide!
Who knows, maybe for that charming and beautiful daddy from the boats, love is floating right there at the “Mall of Love” in an inflatable swan-shaped boat.
Anyway, I went home with Allesia, with the memory of a pleasant afternoon at the mall and a living example of modern courtship.
Maybe next time I’ll try something new too…
