Waiting in the Lobby
Opposite me is a mink coat waiting there is something inside the mink coat that has a hat on it and a lot of legs and shoes, but the important part is the mink coat. At the desk above the pigeonholes for letters and keys there is a workman with overalls and a pleasant face. He appears and disappears behind the wooden partition like a jack-in-the-box. I can’t think that he is accomplishing anything very important. There is a lovely gentleman walking up and down and back and forth. He is wearing a black overcoat, gray striped trousers, a black and red striped tie, a derby, spats and a pseudo-aristocratic face. Altogether he is immaculate and perfect. I am afraid he is not as nice as he looks, moreover, he is making me nervous. There is a white-haired lady in a leopard coat flat-footed shoes and a pale gray hat tilted just at the wrong angle. She walks in and out of the revolving door for no apparent reason and each time she passes, she smiles at the man at the desk. The dolefully modern young man with large spectacles who stands beside the clock in an attitude of inferiority complex pretends he doesn’t quite remember who he is waiting for and that it doesn’t in the least matter. He only wishes it would get late quickly so he wouldn’t have to wait any more. His pockets are too small for his hands and he would much rather I didn’t look at him. The mink coat is smoking a cigarette and throwing the ashes on the floor. White things shoot down a glass tube which ends on top of a mail box where it says MAIL EARLY What is early? Efficient women stride in with wire-haired terriers on leashes and snow-boots on their large feet. An orchestra is playing a nostalgic tune in a distant room where there are more people waiting. They are very patient, these people. I only wish the immaculate gentleman would stop walking up and down and back and forth. Why doesn’t he speak to the mink coat or write a letter that he could mail early?
I am not waiting for anyone. I am just watching the workman in overalls appear and disappear behind the wooden partition like a jack-in-the-box.