Something to Talk About

Here's my obsession, or one of them anyway. This lady. She slays me.

I walked past this woman leaning against the phone booth on a Saturday morning in Darwin, Australia several weeks ago. I slowed to a halt, taking in the details. The umbrella, the legs, those heels, and the way she held the phone to her head.

Casually, I pulled out the camera and enjoyed sleuthfully capturing this perfectly composed image that seems right out of a movie set. You know, that moment in the film when a character sneaks in a call. It's a plot point, but it's pretty, and enough to get from point A to point B.

I understand this alone might not be such a wow for you.

But there was also this: that woman stood talking on the phone for more than two hours. Two hours! The public phone booth - a thing of the past in the global mobile universe - became her home. She hung up her umbrella, leaned against the metal countertop, and pretty soon the glass openings looked like windows in her house.

Seeing her initially, I felt enchanted. Seeing her still there on my walk back from lunch, I felt much more than enchantment; I felt intrigued by this engaged and elegant woman dressed a short plaid skirt that reminded me of 1970s Catholic school uniforms. Who was she talking to? And what were they talking about at such length?