Love in A Parking Lot *

* I wrote this several years ago and intended to post it on Valentine’s Day. Still, the message is clear. There is love all around, sometimes we need to look. Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

It was a moment in time, in the open for all to see.  I saw it, love in a parking lot.  Others may have missed it, not me. And there was no mistaking what it was, love, pure and simple.

In an act of old-fashioned chivalry, a tall, sophisticated looking man tenderly draped his arm around the shoulders of his attractive companion, gently moving her closer to him. His comforting smile exuded confidence.  Her upward glance signaled approval, as though she, herself, had encouraged him.

They walked deliberately, amid a swarm of busy shoppers rushing to buy supplies before the storm, too consumed with Mother Nature, perhaps, to see it. But I saw it, the wonderful and rare public display of affection, love in a parking lot.

People are hurrying and scurrying, so focused on where they’re going or where they’ve been, that they often miss where they are.  Not me.  I’m always looking!  Life is full of wonderful moments, if we avail ourselves of the opportunity to see them.  Too often, in our haste, we miss the ‘theatre’ around us.

Not me. I enjoy watching people. My wife calls it ‘staring’, I call it ‘observing’.  I see the remarkable and unremarkable, the pleasant and unpleasant, the ordinary and not so ordinary.  I multitask with my eyes and ears, not passing the time so singularly focused that I miss life’s sometimes ‘bigger moments’, like love in a parking lot.

As for the ‘lovers’, I was not surprised to learn they were married 45 years. And this one moment of him protecting her from the icy wind by drawing her closer to his warmth, affirmed to me their mutual and enduring love.

I hope more people saw it, too, their love for each other, on display in a parking lot, because in a brief but poignant moment between two people, two lovers, I was uplifted.  It made me smile.

From time to time, if you’re looking, ‘observing’, you may be fortunate to witness true love, too, or some other special moment.  I’m always looking!

srbottch

Dedicated to those of us who are ‘always looking’ and for people in love, everywhere

Published by

srbottch

Retired in 2013 after 5 years as an elementary school teacher and 40 years as a sales representative to begin anew as a school crossing guard. SMy essays/stories are a way to communicate through the telling of personal experiences. One reader said about my blog stories, "...these are like a cold sip during a marathon run, simple, real life events". Another offered about my blog, “it brings some sense of normalcy not easily found in the modern world.”

36 thoughts on “Love in A Parking Lot *”

    1. This couple was great. I approached them inside the store and told them what I saw. I asked their permission to write about it snd they approved (I told the I was a Hollywood screen writer and it could become a movie)

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Bette. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. It was fun to write and I can still see that older couple now. They stood out so easily as though they were in color and everything around them was black & white. I appreciate your comment.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. You made me smile twice with this post. I saw them with you and guessed before the end that they were long married. I too am an observer (staring a lot) 🙂 I tell people it’s because I’m visually impaired but it’s because I enjoy noticing what’s around me. I will no longer apologize for it after reading this.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. What a wonderful comment. You made me feel great about writing it and bringing you along. Which car were you in while staring…er, ‘observing’? Thank you so much and keep watching. Who knows, one day we might see each other 😁.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. I am a people watcher too, Steve. My favorite place is to observe people in an airport where there are so many styles of dress, different cultures, and languages to take in.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I agree, Pete. A great way to pass time while waiting. When we go grocery shopping, I’m always looking around, making eye contact, smiling, or nodding hello to people. My wife is on a mission; get in, get your stuff, and get out. She has no idea who was in the store. A Martian could walk by her in the aisle and she wouldn’t notice it 🙀😂. People watching should be a sport! Thanks for contributing, Pete.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  6. I REMEMBER THIS ONE, AND YOU MUST BE LIKE ME. I LOVE TO WATCH PEOPLE. WE WILL BE LEAVING TOMORROW MORNING. IT’S BEEN A WONDERFUL TIME HERE IN ST. SIMONS, BUT TIME TO RETURN HOME. HOPEFULLY ALL THE SNOW AND ICE WILL BE GONE BEFORE WE HAVE TO DRIVE UP THE MOUNTAIN. WE ARE ALMOST 3,000 FT. ABOVE SEA LEVEL. NOT TOO HIGH, BUT HIGH ENOUGH TO MAKE THE WEATHER PLEASANT IN THE SUMMER. WEATHER’S SUPPOSED TO WARM UP NEXT WEEK, SO I THINK SPRING MAY BE AROUND THE CORNER AND THAT’S ALWAYS A PRETTY TIME. WILL BE SPENDING A FEW DAYS WITH OUR SISTER-IN-LAW IN COVINGTON. WE ALWAYS BREAK UP OUR LONG TRIPS SOUTH WITH HER. WE DON’T GET TO SEE HER TOO OFTEN, AND SHE IS LIKE A SISTER TO ME, SO IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE WITH HER. SHE’S 83 SO WE TRY NOT TO MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH HER. WILL BE OUT OF WHACK UNTIL THE FIRST OF NEXT WEEK, BUT KEEP YOUR EMAILS COMING AND I’LL GET TO THEM EVENTUALLY. STAY SAFE, WARM AND WELL. LOVE YOU…………….JUNE

    Sent from Mail for Windows 10

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Glad you had a nice respite from your Normal routine. Hope you’re both feeling well. When will Gary have surgery. Also, have you made appts for your vaccines? Important.

      So, when will you retrieve the mail?

      Also, sad news. Not surprising, but still sad to hear that Rush passed away today.

      Keep in touch. Stephen

      >

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Liz, I was sitting in our living room reading, something I need to do more often, and your nice note came across my phone screen. I’m glad that you so kindly received my story. I’m not a writer in the same mode as you, I’m just someone who likes to talk to people by writing stuff. When someone such as you express such nice words, I’m both flattered and flabbergasted (great word). Thank you and I hope all is well. Steve (reading Team of Rivals, a wonderful history book about Abe Lincoln)

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      2. Great point. I hadn’t thought of it that way until I started writing my stories. One reader commented, ‘I like your voice!’ Now I know what she meant.

        Like

    1. A collector? I like that term. You and I have some of the same interests in people. My wife always asks me after I’ve met someone new, “Did you find out where they work, how much money they make, how old he is, etc?” And, to be a wise guy, I answer, “Yes, and more”. Glad you enjoyed the story which was true, you know. I really did see this couple and it inspired me to write about them.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. And people like to tell other people about themselves. At least most people do, I think. I’ve learned much about people on WP and it’s nice to know how wonderful people are.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Dear Steve,

        You are very welcome. I have composed a special post that can increase your prowess as a quotee so that you have a good chance of being quoted. The post is entitled “The Quotation Fallacy” and is quite extensive. I am curious to see what you think or make of it there.

        Like

Leave a comment