Ninja Nem

I was in the bookstore today making up a list of books I want for Christmas. There was a man sitting in the middle of the entertainment and humor section. Normally this wouldn't peak my attention since a lot of people sit in the aisles to thumb through a book. The man however wasn't. He was just sitting there with his head sort of tilted back against the books. I went about my business looking at the entertainment books when I couldn't help but cast a glance at the man's face. My curiosity had won out. Our eyes connected. He looked as world weary as I often feel. It was extraordinary. As I left the aisle a moment later and moved on to another aisle to continue my list my mind wandered back to the man. What was he doing there? Was he waiting for someone? How come he looked so sad? Had he simply wanted a place for quiet reflection? I ended up walking back by that section several times while looking around and could feel him watching. It felt like I had to have been the one person to acknowledge his existence in the entire store.