192: observations

i'm sitting at the library in the kids section, looking out the window at parking lot activities.

i've noticed (and not only today) that a lot of people tend to let their small children walk behind them. i've seen both men and women do it, tho mostly women. (but i'm sure that's cuz there seem to be more women than men bringing the kids to the library.)

even tho she's 10, i'm careful to have baby bliss walk beside me or in front of me. i feel it's safer in case we need to run or something. that way i don't have to look behind me to see where she is or if she's paying attention. i can just snatch her up and explain the particulars as we haul tail outta the sich'ation.

* * *

yesterday i noticed a high percentage of men in the library. some of them were kinda creepy too. i think one was clocking mr. bliss. (to 'clock' means to watch someone's activity very closely, sometimes for purposes of getting to know them in the romantic sense; sometimes to vic them. 'vic' is short for 'victim' and when used as a verb, in the lingo of the ghetto, it means to make someone the victim of a crime.)

mr. bliss dropped by for a surprise visit. i let him use my laptop while i got up to check on baby bliss in the computer room and tend to a few assorted library activities. when i came back, i came the long way, which brought me around from behind mr. bliss.

lo and behold, i saw a man who appeared to be watching over my husband's shoulder. our respective tables were located on opposite sides of a vee that's formed where two window walls meet, kinda like this: ;V; (the 'V' is the wall and the dots are the tables; the commas represent air, really but i needed to use the semicolon to better show where the tables are.)

if the guy had been sitting at the table correctly, he would have been facing two other tables, a small lounge area, and another window wall. but he wasn't. he had pulled the chair back from the table, so it was closer to the edge of the V. then he sat so he could see our table (and anything beyond it as well.)

when i noticed him, he was leaning forward, perched on the edge of the chair as if he was trying to see what my husband was doing on the laptop.

when i returned to my seat, i leaned in as if i was going to nuzzle my husband's neck and i whispered "somebody's watching you". mr. bliss turned around to check the guy out. a few minutes later, he turned around to look at the guy again. eventually the guy turned his chair to face his own table.

wow.

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