Physical Description of a Stranger Assignment

I got an A on this last assignment; it was to describe another (unknown) person in 750 words. It could not be someone you knew, or a celebrity. I had fun!
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Walking slowly through the mall, my subject seemed not to notice anything at first; she was enveloped in her own thoughts and seemed blissful. The smile on her face, while thin, told of a soul that was at ease with the world and her place in it.

The posture she held was slightly bent over, her feet shuffling with each step. In her right hand she held a cane, although it appeared she seldom used it while she walked. She would occasionally use it while paused at a kiosk. Sometimes it looked like she would get a burst of superpower energy, stand erect, and march to the next kiosk.

Her clothes look freshly laundered, as if put on right out of the dryer. The shirt she wore was a white button down dress shirt, and it was tucked into her skirt. Although she wore an overcoat, you could see the shirt hanging from her lean frame, her collarbones easily showing through the fabric.

She wore a knee length tan skirt that fell from her waist, and had a slight stain on the lower hem. The skirt had two brown accent stripes that ran down along either side. There were a few rhinestones sown along the bottom of the hem. Under the skirt she wore opaque white tights that were pristine; a slight contradiction to the stained skirt.

Her low-heeled shoes provided her with the ability to walk comfortably while still being fashionable. They were black patent leather, but worn. I caught the dull reflection of the fluorescent lights that adorned the ceiling of the mall. You could tell that she was fond of these shoes; there were cracked lines along the sides. When she walked past me, I could hear the creak of worn leather.

The woman carried a thin white purse, and a fabric reusable grocery bag. The bag was green in color, with brown handles; and there was a “Recycle-Reduce-Reuse” logo printed on the exterior. It overflowed with bargains she found that day while shopping. Peeking out the top of the bag was a plastic-wrapped loofah, and six inches of yarn trailed off the side.

Trying to see past the woman’s clothing, and the bags she was carrying, I looked directly at her face. I hoped she wouldn’t catch my gaze, and she didn’t. I was close enough to see the slate gray of her eyes. They were framed with lids that were semi-transparent, and contently half closed. I would not have noticed the color of her eyes if not for the rhinestone necklace that she wore around her neck. The two colors played off each other, shimmering.

The necklace had accompanying earrings, which dangled from her delicate ears. I was close enough to see the weight of the earrings pulling down on her lobes, and to see a small mark just below her right ear. Trying not to be conspicuous, I moved from my spot to get a look at the mark. I was surprised to see a small Star of David. That piqued my curiosity. I wanted to speak to the woman, and ask her about her life. I was sure she had many stories to tell, and that I could sit for hours listening. I was interrupted in that thought when my husband approached me and asked how my research was going. I went back to silent and still observation.

Her tresses were long – falling to just above her waist – quite unusual for a lady of her age. They were a natural shade of blonde, with radiant silver highlights. Her bangs were pulled back in a brown tortoiseshell barrette. Every once in a while, a strand would fall across her face, and she would brush it away with a sweep of her hand. If she caught her reflection in a mirror, she would study herself to make sure each hair was in place, and that she was presentable to the next kiosk attendant.

The skin of her hands was as paper-thin as her eyelids, and I could see the small veins beneath her skin. There were some small liver spots on both of her hands, but not noticeable at just a glance. The hand that held the cane gripped it tightly, and her knuckles were white. Her nails were acrylic, and finely manicured. Bright pink, they stood out from the rest of her outfit.

Taking a step back from my intense studying of each detail of my subject, I took a moment to take an overall look at her. She was, indeed, beautiful: an elegant lady of later age. I can only hope that when I am that age, and a random person is studying me for their English project that they see the same classy lady that I saw today.