Spark People

"He that can have patience, can have what he will."
-Benjamin Franklin

There were sparks recently. Spouse and I were out and about on the busiest shopping day of the year; the mall was choked with people scurrying to the November sales, all hoping and hunting for a bargain and not willing to let the presence of other humans get in the way of a fine deal.
As a result we had little room to maneuver around the stores. At every turn some eager person would barrel into us at high velocity, usually because they were not paying attention but occasionally due to callous indifference.
One impatient young lady brushed hurriedly past Spouse as he stooped to examine some overpriced item on a shelf. She refused to wait another heartbeat and boldly pushed her way through, accidentally touching his hand as she did so.
Spouse, who routinely hesitates before grasping door handles due to the nature of the static that afflicts his person, and who is perpetually prepared for the shock when in a crowded area, felt a furious crackling burst of electricity at the abrupt collision of hands.
One would hope that the lady, too, felt the sparks and comprehended what had happened; that after the fright wore off she learned she had sailed too close and too hastily to the wind and had not given sufficient, courteous room to other customers.
Either that, or we shall soon discover a cryptic note in that section of the local paper devoted to Missed Connections, Lost Chances and Romantic Encounters.
The message would vaguely allude to the sparks that a certain girl is absolutely sure she and a fellow both experienced in their brief encounter in (insert store name), and if Spark Guy- who with any luck will be browsing the classified advertisements in a similar search for Spark Girl- would please, please make contact at such and such a number...
The follow-up to that sort of message, however, is patience, of which I doubt Spark Girl possesses a reasonable quantity.