uncc at the apple store, 9.20.24

i went to apple store in rockingham mall in new hampshire to buy a new phone. my phone hasn’t been getting texts and calls every so often, plus the charger port is messed up as i have to angle the cord exactly to perfection to get a charge. the apple store opened at 8am and i got to the mall at 7:30am. i tried to open two doors, and they were closed. i sat in my car until 7:55am. i saw someone walking in the mall so i went and tried to open the door, but it was locked. that’s when i figured some door is open and i have to find it. i drove around and eventually found the door in the back side of the mall was unlocked. i walked in at 8:10am and the line for apple was long as shit. as i’m waiting, i’m hoping that they had the phone i wanted, which was the pro max black titanium. as i’m in line, an older lady reads my shirt. i’m wearing a uncc basketball shirt. she asks if i went there. when i told her i did, she asked what i was doing up here. she mentioned she was on campus a few weeks ago, which surprised me. she said it was one of the most beautiful campuses, but that it’s a shame that it’s a commuter school. i asked why she was on campus and long story short, we played jmu in football. her son is the offensive coordinator for the dukes and her son’s friend is the defensive coordinator for uncc. she was decked out in purple, and her nails were purple. i loved it. as i’m waiting in line, a guy ahead me says he overheard that i worked in biotech. he said his daughter works in biotech for janssen in new jersey and that she just graduated. he then mentions how he’s recently divorced, but seeing a new lady in north carolina as he has a house in north myrtle beach. he was so kind, too. he said he lost his phone and was getting a new one. his advice to me was to max out my 401k and by the time i’m his age, i’ll be a happy man. eventually we all got our phones and parted ways, but it was nice conversation early in the morning.

life is amazing and you never know who you’ll run into.

-ratha, 9:23am, 9.20.24