Most people I know like a spot of people watching. They sit in pubs and cafes with their friends and discuss the people around them. "Look at that woman sitting over there with the dog and the notebook," they say, "have you seen her fingernails? You'd have thought she grew that salad herself." What they probably don't know is some of the people they are watching are watching them. They might even be writing down everything they say.
This is where I think I might have tipped from normal, sane, everyday kind of people watching to, well, I think it can only be called stalking. I blame the fact that I'm spending some time every day in this holiday writing fiction and I keep getting stuck (probably because I'm not very good at it and it's really hard). When I get stuck, I leave the house. I walk, sit in cafes and listen. It's good to hear subtle differences in speech patterns and the boring inconsequential things that make up people's everyday lives.
The other day, I was watching someone complain about how her life, since retiring, had become a huge social whirl. "I just can't keep up with it all," she beamed at her friend. The friend said nothing (because she couldn't get a word in edgeways) but I was feeling really jealous on her behalf. I had assumed that the friend was on a rare day out and probably didn't want to be thought of as another social inconvenience. I happened to follow this gadabout to the loo. She was checking her lipstick in the mirror when she received a text. I washed my hands and had to stand behind her to use the dryer.
"Hi Margot and George
When you and the children come over later we will have a fantastic time.
Will you bring wine? Maybe you should bring cakes instead, as they are just toddlers.
Looking forward to it already. X"
I felt even more jealous. Two social events in one day. No wonder she was getting tired of it. Then I saw her reply.
"Who are Margot and George?"
I still felt jealous. "I've never had a misdirected text," I thought, "it's not fair."
I think it's time to get a life.
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