Yesterday I went to the gym. Did a good, long, burning workout, then called my Mom to pick me up.
Me: Hola Madre! -Then a string of incoherent spanish that I completely and totally made up on the spot-
Mom: . . . uh, Hello?
Me: . . . Mom, it's me, your daughter.
Mom: Oh. Hi Hazel.
Me: Well, anyways, I'm finished at the gym.
Mom: I still need to pick your brother up, so I might be about 30 or 40 minutes until I can get you . . .
Me: Oh, okay. Well I'll be here.
Mom: I'll call you when I'm close to the gym. Bye.
Me: 'kay, bye Mom.
Not sure of what to do with 30-40 minutes on my hands, I wandered downstairs and took a seat watching a bunch of men, ranging from the looks of 17-55 play basketball. I slid myself into a tall chair that made my feet dangle off the ground, and placed my elbows on the counter in front of me. From behind the glass, I sat and watched.
I love to people watch. If I could spend all day at a busy park and watch Moms yell at their kids, and hobos sort through trash, and couples going on awkward rollerblading dates, I would. I would and I would be HAPPY.
So of course the first thing I did when I started watching the men play, was rummage through my bag and pull out my notebook and gel pen (because what kind of pen I used is important . . . not).
I'm not saying that I go all
Dr. Laura and try to analyze everyone, and everything they do, while thinking that I have been able to figure out their complete mental state in a matter of minutes. Hells to the no! I simply like watching and wondering about what makes people tick.
There was this one guy, and I kid you not, he was an exact clone of the man who played Mozart in Amadeus, and that one that accidently becomes a pedophile in Animal house. You know that guy?


Well, not exactly those versions. A lot more similar to the time he played the hippie shrink from Stranger Than Fiction (Harold, a tree doesn't think it's a tree. It knows it's a tree).

Then imagine the caveman from the Geico commercials.

Got it? Okay. Now imagine him bald and without the beard.
Not even kidding.
(Yes, Mozart and Caveman dude battled it out on the court before my very own eyes)
Believe it or not, but I found the fashions very interesting.
Some appear to be male models just coming out from a sportswear catalog, wearing combinations such as a red and white "I (heart) NY" t-shirt, paired along with white shorts that have red strips running down the sides, shiny red shoes with white laces, and a red mouth guard. And they NEVER SWEAT. Not even a trickle. The day the earth stops spinning is the day they will look even slightly disheveled.
Then there are those who . . . well, look like I do when I'm at the gym. In sweats that need to be washed, a ragged t-shirt from a raffle you won years ago (oh, and it has a lovely food stain down the front), while it seems as if every little pore on your body is having a contest to see who can expel the most moisture.
We need to stick together, we who look like crap.
But I do have to say, I did one-up everyone that day by inadvertently wearing mismatched socks. BOOYAH!
There was one young man who had the whitest teeth I had ever seen. Seriously, these were Edward worthy. I didn't even try to get a closer look for fear of being blinded by the shine. Whatever toothpaste that man uses, I want it.
As their game started to wind down, and many players started to pack up and leave, a few men stayed to mess around on the court. I decided to pull out a book and start reading. Then within 5 minutes I heard a tap on the glass. My head shot up. There was a guy holding a basketball, motioning to me while mouthing "Come on! Come play!". Laughing, I shook my head while silently mouthing "I can't play". He gave a big grin and went back to shooting baskets.
It was a lucky day for that man. If in that moment I had said yes, he would probably be in a ICU, due to injury I would have caused him by my horrid playing. Lucky, Lucky guy.
Seriously. I can't dribble to save my life. Least of all dribble and WALK at the same time.
It was a good day.
~Hazel May