Imäges from IKEA

IKEA on a Saturday night. It's a mob scene and the lines are long. The man in front of me has only a couple of boxes on his cart. I see a woman coming from a line nearby. She has a warm smile as she says to the man. "My line seems to be going faster". I figure that they are together, each in a different line to see which one would be shorter. But the man does not move to join her. He stays put, waiting patiently behind at least 5 or 6 people. She is soon done with her shopping and comes back to chat, keeping an eye on her purchases. I'm not sure what the relation between the two are. They are obviously getting separate checks. His answers to her questions are monosyllabic. He is tall and slim. She is short and quite fat, wearing jeans that underline her large hips. She has a smile that illuminates all her face, he does not laugh but seems to enjoy her gaiety. Friends sharing a car for a Saturday night shopping spree? She answers the question for me as she leans on his left arm and leaves her head rest right below his elbow in a tender gesture that seems out of place in this cold blue and yellow building.

The little girl that went to open one of the large umbrellas on sale for $3.99 and could not close it. The way she presented her thumb to her dad coming to rescue her as if to show him that she had fought valiantly the battle. The way he smiled to acknowledge her effort before grabbing the umbrella from her hands and closing it effortlessly.