"Yeah, really! She wasn't mushy today."
Walking through the mall is such an invigorating experience. The shops, the food, and of course, the people are all so diverse. It is amazing what one can hear by just walking, not even eavesdropping. The particular line I heard came from a woman talking on a cell phone, while pushing a wheelchair with an elderly woman in it. Here, like in every successive post, I will elaborate on the scene and insert my own details in order for that one line I heard to make sense.
The woman, let's call her Joan, was in her mid-40s. She was pushing her mother, an elderly lady, in a wheelchair, and had a hard time navigating between the crowds of people. Joan was a teacher, and this was going to be the last day spent with her mother, as school was starting soon. Lately, her mother was having periods of insanity, in which she would become an entirely different person, someone who was very emotional and open, not stiff, stubborn or stoic like her usual demeanor. At that moment, she was in her normal state - she refused to walk and that was why she was being pushed around in a wheelchair. She didn't particularly like the mall; in fact, she was strongly opposed to chain stores and had a strong aversion to fluorescent lights, but it was raining outside, and Joan couldn't think of anything else to do on their last day together.
Joan was talking on her cell phone, to her husband Tom. The beginning of their conversation probably went something like this:
*Ring, ring* *Ring, ring* *Ring, ring* Ring, ring*
Tom answers, out of breath: "Hi honey, sorry, I had to run to my phone. Where are you?"
"At the mall, with Mom"
"Oh, that's nice, I hope she's having a good time there."
"Yeah, she is. She's sane today."
"Really? What a surprise."
"Yeah, really! She wasn't mushy today."
"Well that's good. I hope you too have a wonderful time. Bye"
Although Joan didn't want to admit it, she hated when her mother became all mushy-gushy and lovey-dovey. She preferred the strong, silent woman who had raised her, and was worried that those periods of sanity would become shorter and shorter until her mother became a completely different person. Joan shuddered at the thought, and continued pushing her mother, pretending to be upset that her mother was so stubborn.
