Observations at the mall

I had occasion to sit at the local Wimpy today while I waited for the carwash to valet my car - they provide a complimentary coffee for their clients, and very good it was too. I watched the passing parade coming and going through the mall doors on a late Saturday afternoon and it was better than the movies. It was also a great opportunity to interact with strangers, something that gives a much better perspective on life than only speaking to your friends.
There is the yummy mummy from upper Noordhoek, looking slim and trim from days at the gym, blonde and blinged, pushing the Woolies trolley. Then the harassed housewife in tracksuit pants and too-tight t-shirt revealing rolls round the middle, with 4 kids in tow, from the valley - pushing the Pick n Pay trolley. The vibrant vegan in tie-dyed garb with a Foodlovers trolley overflowing with greens and a baguette. A man doing the shopping - trolley not too full, just what was on the list.
Coming into the mall is the pop-up shop selling pillows on weekends. Sometimes they are selling creams and nail buffers and their modus operandi is to use smooth-talking, good-looking young men to nab the women that pass by. These pillow-sellers appear to come from up north, and the talk is glib, but the translation of the advertising on the packaging is so bad it is worth buying for entertainment value. I have to admit I did buy these pillows a couple of weeks ago and although they are not quite what they were made out to be, they are incredibly comfortable and I haven't slept so well in years.
At the door sits a woman with a folder and collection tin for homeless and abused children. It was most interesting to see who contributed. I only saw two people in an hour put something in the tin. Both left the mall and then came back specially. Both were older black gentlemen who definitely had to dig deep in their pockets, and it was heart-warming. I chatted to her and we agreed that the note I put in the tin was so far off what was really needed, but that the problems went further back than the parents.
The waitrons and manageress at the Wimpy were a delight to engage in conversation and when I fetched the car, the man at the desk was full of cheerful banter. The main subject was how many miserable people there are in the valley! This has always been true since I can remember over the last 58 years and that is a problem that also goes back further than parents. If anyone would like some enlightenment on the reasons, you should read some enlightening literature!