Other women in my life

One of the reasons I like to go to City Market, a downtown healthy/local food coop, is that it gives me a chance to have some contact with other people. Since I stay home most of the time and am not in school, don't go to work or frequent bars, my contact is limited. But at least when I go to get my sourdough bread or pasta I know I will have to make some eye contact and maybe exchange a word or so at the checkout. Most of the checkers there are young women and many have something unappealing about them: they are obese, they have hair in the wrong places, their clothes either cover too much or too little or they just seem too well educated for the job. The young men are also different - one wears lipstick and it actually looks quite good with his ear ring. Once in a while an attractive young female takes the job but they never seem to last long: I suppose they go on to more challenging positions quickly or, being adventurous, just move to a different state. They never engage me at the checkout - and that is understandable. But the others sre grateful if you exchange a thought with them. They might ask how I use the dehydrated refried bean mix that I sometimes buy (ans: in my pasta sauce) or they might drop a remark that it's the kind of day that they'd like to be at home reading or drinking tea. It's almost as if their looks (or lack thereof) has freed them from the vanity of thinking of sexual attraction all the time and enabled them to see what's going on around them. These other women are not significant interests my life, but, still, if I see them in another setting or just on the street I take note. And it's surprising how conversant some of them are and how their personality seems to brighten if someone takes an interest. They are way younger than I am but that doesn't seem to matter. This is one of the reasons I like going to City.