The Zombie and Mrs Golightly

kmart realism is fuuuuun

There was a coupon frenzy. Irritated mothers, squealing children, impatient fathers, plump pinkies and pimpled youth. Despite the overwhelming disparity in the ratio of staff to customer, the energy in the store felt unfathomably static and tedious. It was like wading through a tide of excrement. A certain pleasure could be derived however, from examining individual faces in the crowd. Some were undeniably aggravated in their impatience, while others looked simply miffed. The most conspicuous customer was a handsome elderly woman second to the front of the queue. Her face was curiously serene - almost emotionless. She was an ageing Holly Golightly of the modern era. A breathing anachronism among the horde of discount-manic sheep. The sheep at the front of the line was a middle-aged woman wheeling a bulging trolley of junk food. 

“Good morning! How are you today?” was my automatic chirp. She blinked at me and began unpacking her craving-induced purchases. I felt momentarily nauseous at the sight of her lurid blue eyelids, flapping like startled butterflies. I scanned her items in silence as she proceeded to dip her hand into the recess of her cleavage, emerging with a bejewelled iPhone. She began to talk very loudly into her phone while I imagined her being slowly eviscerated. With the flourish of a pink credit card the transaction was finalised. Lady Breast Enhancement continued to gab on with emphatic hand gestures as she waddled away. Mrs Breakfast at Tiffany’s approached the checkout. She was elegantly dressed in a black shift dress with a string of pearls. I ditched my mental list of stock greetings and smiled at her. She returned the gesture with warmth and remarked on my “wonderful personality." I was impressed to find that her delicate voice was completely devoid of that irritating effervescence characteristic of typical sycophants. 

Her natural vitality felt curiously out of place in the stale department store. I was imbued with a sense of hope. 

Reviews

[rockgirl]

Nice write. I too nickname people based on their looks lol.