She looked up at every person who passed within her vicinity, some of whom had not even noticed her. The observer was not able to identify anything about her likely occupation or the circumstances that lead to her choosing this particular coffee shop, except that her confusion at the counter suggested that it was not part of her daily routine.
The Unavailable Woman:
Another woman entered the coffee shop. She had apparently not been caught in the rain because she was completely dry and her umbrella was still neatly wrapped in its case. Her hair was longer than the previous subject, but instead of allowing it to swing out when she changed her physical orientation, she moved in a much less exaggerated motion that did not impart any inertia to her hair. Instead of repeatedly preening her hair away from her face, she allowed it to cover her ears and seemed to carry herself in a manner designed not to attract attention. She did not make eye contact with anyone except for the one counter person who served her. She did not seem to make unnecessary conversation and the observer was not able to hear her end of the conversation. Her gestures seemed appropriately polite to the counter person and the observer was able to lip read the words "thank you very much" after she received her order.
She then selected the table opposite the observer on the other side of the entrance, but she took a seat that looked out of the window and away from the main seating area.
She also turned around the other vacant chair opposite her and placed it adjacent to her before piling her belongings on it. She removed a textbook and a highlighter from her bag and proceeded to read in a manner suggesting that she was probably a college or postgraduate student. She seemed to purposely obscure the cover of her book by not raising it high enough for the observer to see the cover surface.
He also seemed to make eye contact with everyone in the room while making his way to the counter. His dress was casual but professional, and he wore the collar of his leather jacket up despite the fact that it was no longer raining outside (or inside, for that matter). He greeted the counter person loudly enough for the observer to hear and placed his order in a similarly audible voice. His hair was too short to preen, but he did repeatedly run his thumbs around the inside of his waistband, tucking in his (already tucked) shirt with his back to the counter, looking around the room while waiting for his order.
He took a table against the wall, directly opposite the first female subject in the middle of the room and sat with his back against the wall, facing her. He then removed a laptop computer and opened it up next t his cellular phone and proceeded to make a call as it powered up. He scanned the room while waiting for the call to connect and, while seeming to pretend not to notice the first female subject, he then (apparently) left the following message on the recipient's voicemail in a voice loud enough for all to hear. "Hey, it's Bob. Listen, I want you to make absolutely sure that Naomi runs those spec by me before they go out. Last time, she cost me about seventeen grand doing it her way and if it happens again, I guarantee you that heads will roll. You know that's not much money to me, but the point is, I'm in charge, not her. I expect a return call within the hour, no matter what. Bye, " after which he slammed the phone shut emphatically while simultaneously looking up just in time to wink confidently at the first female subject who was smiling at him by this time.
