Malls

So, we go out Friday. I drive into Bellevue around five-thirty with no idea what I'm going to do as I wait for Josh and Monica. The whole last hour of work I'm trying to figure this out. It's got me crazy. I hate waiting on people and I'm running through ideas of things to do. I don't want to start drinking already. So, I don't wanna grab beer and go over to Monica's or just go into the bar where I'm supposed to meet them. I think about shopping, Bellevue is lousy with places to shop. But, what for and why? Is it worth blowing 80 bucks on a shirt just to kill time? I need groceries, but if I were to buy shit it would just sit in the car and rot while I'm at dinner. No, fuck it, I park the car and try to figure out whom to pay. They have these money slots, but they're all boarded up. There's an old man in the booth, but is he going to be there all night? Who the fuck knows? I leave the parking lot positive my car will be towed.

America is lousy with malls and the one I'm meeting them at may be the worst. It's just so neo-mall. You have a movie theater, a couple high end restaurants, a Tower Records and a mess of specialty shops for kitchens and bathrooms and such. There's probably a frame or scrapbook store in there, too. The worst is those hot tub stores. I don't understand how they stay afloat? How often do people buy hot tubs? And it's not like people buy them in bulk.

I decide to take a seat on a bench in the outdoor pavilion. I take out my phone and