being tailed.
It was another five uneventful blocks up to the mall and when he finally reached the parking lot, he stopped just as his shoes hit the asphalt.
This was the place he and his father came to. The only place in town they ever actually went. That kind of made this place special. It didn’t really look special.
There were several entrances, but Jonah chose the one he knew best. Just on the inside of this entrance was a sports collectibles store. Jonah would beg his father to park on this side of the mall every time they came. They never went in, but Jonah loved to stop and admire the merchandise. There were all sorts of autographed items in the windows – posters, baseballs, bubblegum cards. His father would say all of that stuff was just far too expensive and the collectible value was never worth the prices they were asking. It never hurt to look though.
The mall was made up from three very distinct sections. The section Jonah walked into seemed to be the original mall. This end didn’t have any of the new or flashy name brand stores, it held older stores that looked like they’d been around for ages. Next to the collectibles store was a sporting goods store, and then a sewing outlet and then a small barbershop.
Jonah hated that barbershop.
Every time they came to the mall, Jonah got a haircut there before shopping for things he’d out-grown, like shoes and jeans, and every single time the barber would buzz his hair almost impossibly short. His father called it a ‘military cut’. It seemed to be the guy’s specialty, since even the old guys who came out of that shop had the exact same cut.
He knew all of this would eventually get to him. Being at the mall made him miss his dad. He’d even volunteer to get his haircut if his dad were just here again. Then he had a passing vision of Zombie Dad buying sneakers at the discount shoe place three doors down and he decided to head for the Promenade.
The Promenade, which served as a food court, was completely open to the outside except for the various restaurant awnings. The whole walk was cobblestone that matched the slate stone exteriors of the restaurants here. There weren’t too many people out here today though. It did much more business when it was warm.
Oh, food! Jonah hadn’t remembered this place smelling so good. His stomach started rumbling. Maybe he should have eaten.
He turned left and went toward the newer area. This was a much larger construction and the exterior paint didn’t necessarily match the older section of the mall. When you walked in this section from either the Promenade or the parking lot, you got blasted with air. Depending on the season, it would be warm or cool, but Jonah never quite understood why that happened. As he approached the sliding doors, they opened and, sure enough, there was the gust of warm air.
As he walked in, he unzipped his coat. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the tablet, so he slid it inside the back of his jeans. It wasn’t totally uncomfortable, and it did make him stand a little straighter. His father would be happy with the idea.
They only came to this side of the mall when his father needed to go to the electronics store for something for the lab. Jonah didn’t mind. He used to run through here looking at everything that time would allow. There were the expensive name-brand clothing stores, the high-end sneaker stores, there was even a store that sold musical instruments. Jonah would run through them all, admiring all the things his father felt were too expensive but Jonah had seen on TV. It was kind of a tease, but they seemed far more real when they were within reach.
Jonah’s one luxury item on those special occasions when his father had to go electronics shopping was a single CD of his own choosing. Jonah always chose very carefully, knowing that it was a rare occasion. He would usually settle on a compilation CD of recent radio hits. It made him feel like he was kind of putting
It was another five uneventful blocks up to the mall and when he finally reached the parking lot, he stopped just as his shoes hit the asphalt.
This was the place he and his father came to. The only place in town they ever actually went. That kind of made this place special. It didn’t really look special.
There were several entrances, but Jonah chose the one he knew best. Just on the inside of this entrance was a sports collectibles store. Jonah would beg his father to park on this side of the mall every time they came. They never went in, but Jonah loved to stop and admire the merchandise. There were all sorts of autographed items in the windows – posters, baseballs, bubblegum cards. His father would say all of that stuff was just far too expensive and the collectible value was never worth the prices they were asking. It never hurt to look though.
The mall was made up from three very distinct sections. The section Jonah walked into seemed to be the original mall. This end didn’t have any of the new or flashy name brand stores, it held older stores that looked like they’d been around for ages. Next to the collectibles store was a sporting goods store, and then a sewing outlet and then a small barbershop.
Jonah hated that barbershop.
Every time they came to the mall, Jonah got a haircut there before shopping for things he’d out-grown, like shoes and jeans, and every single time the barber would buzz his hair almost impossibly short. His father called it a ‘military cut’. It seemed to be the guy’s specialty, since even the old guys who came out of that shop had the exact same cut.
He knew all of this would eventually get to him. Being at the mall made him miss his dad. He’d even volunteer to get his haircut if his dad were just here again. Then he had a passing vision of Zombie Dad buying sneakers at the discount shoe place three doors down and he decided to head for the Promenade.
The Promenade, which served as a food court, was completely open to the outside except for the various restaurant awnings. The whole walk was cobblestone that matched the slate stone exteriors of the restaurants here. There weren’t too many people out here today though. It did much more business when it was warm.
Oh, food! Jonah hadn’t remembered this place smelling so good. His stomach started rumbling. Maybe he should have eaten.
He turned left and went toward the newer area. This was a much larger construction and the exterior paint didn’t necessarily match the older section of the mall. When you walked in this section from either the Promenade or the parking lot, you got blasted with air. Depending on the season, it would be warm or cool, but Jonah never quite understood why that happened. As he approached the sliding doors, they opened and, sure enough, there was the gust of warm air.
As he walked in, he unzipped his coat. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the tablet, so he slid it inside the back of his jeans. It wasn’t totally uncomfortable, and it did make him stand a little straighter. His father would be happy with the idea.
They only came to this side of the mall when his father needed to go to the electronics store for something for the lab. Jonah didn’t mind. He used to run through here looking at everything that time would allow. There were the expensive name-brand clothing stores, the high-end sneaker stores, there was even a store that sold musical instruments. Jonah would run through them all, admiring all the things his father felt were too expensive but Jonah had seen on TV. It was kind of a tease, but they seemed far more real when they were within reach.
Jonah’s one luxury item on those special occasions when his father had to go electronics shopping was a single CD of his own choosing. Jonah always chose very carefully, knowing that it was a rare occasion. He would usually settle on a compilation CD of recent radio hits. It made him feel like he was kind of putting
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