We were alone in an aisle.
“I want to look at some makeup things. May I go?”
“If you stay there until I’m done and come find you.”
“I will.”
“Okay, stay there.”
I walk off.
When he shows up in the makeup area I’m squatting down looking at something. He doesn’t stop or wait on a response, he just says “I’m going to the pharmacy counter. If you get done here, you can leave to come to me.”
My eyes dart to the girl down the aisle. She’s farther than I thought she was. Maybe ten feet? I wonder if she heard him well enough to make out exactly what he said. Probably not. But then I realize, even if she did, I doubt most people would think twice about it. I notice bossing and complying, I notice people who always tell or instruct, I notice people who always request or suggest instead. I notice because they have potential to hint at power exchange, or at dominance and submission. I forget sometimes that most people don’t even notice.