This afternoon in Target I was perusing a box of recycled Christmas cards, when the word "kill" caught my attention. I looked over to find three boys, around 13 or so, rummaging through the Halloween candy (Sale! 75 Percent Off!). They wore black jeans and Vans, and all three had dark hair that curled at the backs of their necks. One wore a RAMONES tee-shirt. (If I were a 13-year-old girl, I'd describe them as skaters -- gangly, nerdy, and decidedly cool.)
As they were circling the bins, one kid said, "So you let her die, right?" and I realized they were talking about a video game. To my joy, his buddy said, "Well, hopefully you get attached to the character and let her live." The third kid wasn't participating in the dialogue, however, as he'd homed in on something spectacular. "Pez!" he rejoiced.
I knew I was onto some great dialogue, so I pushed my cart over to the sale bin, pulled a pen and pad from my pocket, and started jotting away. One of the boys glanced over at me, then turned to join his friends, who had wandered so far away that I could no longer hear what they were saying. But luck was with me, and they drifted back. RAMONE was now carrying a bag of Reese's Pieces. "You can buy Kit Kats if you want," he told his buddy, "but I'm buyin' these." Then off they went, shoulder to shoulder, in search of the Doritos aisle.
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2 comments:
If only there were Targets around when Truman Capote was alive and writing.
I bet you got some great material.
Two years ago I also saw a young boy talking on his cell while skateboarding down the street. Unusual at the time, but commonplace now. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him texting some day. That's some kind of coordinated, too.
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