Another Curtain Call

Yet another moment of my life brought to you in theatre format.

The scene - Pacific Centre Shopping Mall - Vancouver
The plot - Find me some killa boots

The background story - Tony and I, both armed with some mad money courtesy of Christmas gifts head downtown while the kids are in school for a few hours of shopping. To make the most of our time - we go our separate ways....to be in communication via our walkie talkies aka cell phones. I am on the hunt for some new boots to replace a pair that I've put a few hundred miles on - including walking the entire sea wall in them, but it's time to let them go. Other possible candidates for my cash are, a new coat and I also could use a new purse for work.
As I shop alone, I attempt to focus on the objects that are on my list - hard for a gal who is easily distracted by shiny objects. I'm doing pretty good though, I've just skimmed past about 150 purses and deemed each and every one as not fitting the bill of what I'm looking for...I'm also what's known as a fuss arse. Just then my phone rings, it's Tony. He wants me to come down to the men's floor to give him my opinion on some of his choices, I tell him, I'll be down in 5 mins, just finishing up in purses.
I get to the end of the purse section and then get distracted by a shiny object - actually a striped scarf by Coach, though it did have metallic threads in some of the stripes so it was sorta shiny.

We continue the play from here.....

Woman - to be played by me - (though I'm sure Meryl Streep would kill to play this part)

Skiing cowboy - to be played by random stranger, short dude, about 60ish, English accent, missing a few teeth, wearing a ski jacket and cowboy hat.

The curtain rises.....
Act one -

Woman - lost in her own world, lifts scarf out of it's box to feel it - woman always needs to feel fabrics so is in mid-fondle of the scarf when cowboy voice snaps her back to reality.

Cowboy - 'go on, treat yourself - I bet Santa would want you to have it'....'you do believe in Santa don't you?'.....'unless, my parents lied to me before they died.'

Woman - though trying to be polite, (also remembers she was about to head downstairs)...so as to not prolong this conversation, she half-heartedly says, 'oh yeah, I believe in Santa.' She continues to fondle the scarf and check out the price, hoping she'll turn back and skiing cowboy will be gone, though she knows this never happens - strange people really like her.

Cowboy - 'what about Olive, the other reindeer'....'you know about her don't you?'

Woman - looks around to confirm what she already knows, indeed there were many others that skiing cowboy could have chosen to talk to, but she also knows that this kind of encounter is a regular thing in her life - ponders yet again, why she is the 'chosen one'.

Cowboy - not getting a reply the first time asks again...'you do know Olive don't you?'

Woman - a bit tired today to play his game, knowing Tony is probably wondering where the heck she is....mumbles an unenthused, 'oh yeah, Olive, yup I know her'...'yeah, she's great.'....woman gives skiing cowboy a slight smile and starts to wander away from him. Woman leaves him with a 'have a good 'un.'

Cowboy - serenades her departure with a rousing rendition - 'Olive, the other reindeer....used to laugh and call her names....' cowboy is not deterred by the fact that the woman is now about 100 feet from him and heading towards the escalator.

Woman - starts down escalator, is now near the bottom and can still hear the faint sounds of the skiing cowboy singing to her.

Act Two -

Woman heads down the second escalator where she can no longer hear the sounds of her new friend. When she finally gets to Tony - slightly drained from the experience, she just says to Tony, 'sorry I took so long, I had some British dude in a cowboy hat singing to me.' Woman doesn't really need to explain much more, Tony is not surprised at all by this, just slightly chuckles at the latest stranger encounter.

Curtain slowly comes down -

Woman bows at yet another fine performance, and knows the encores will never end - as long as there are strange people, woman will star in many plays.
The curtain will surely rise and fall again and again.