They Got It Wrong

It was obvious as we pulled into the main car park at the Whitgift Centre in Croydon that Mammon was having the day off. The Computer Fair at Ashburton School (advertised but not confirmed) had already announced its absence, but that had happened before. There was plenty of traffic (especially at either end of the traffic light controlled contraflow on the Lower Addiscombe Road where the lights had equitably decided to show red in either direction) and an air of palpable expectation.

The metal gates guarding the Whitgift Centre were resolutely closed and attended by a group of vaguely distressed would-be shoppers. We took the scenic route round the outside of the Centre and up towards the pedestrian thoroughfare, past a dark and catatonic Marks and Spencer.

A few shops were open: McDonalds (of course), a few coffee places, and a smattering of the smaller clothes shops.

But there were lots of people. Purposeful individuals, families, all slightly incredulous and impatient. A few people were at cash machines, as if extracting money would cause the shops to open by some kind of sympathetic magic. The air was frayed with barely suppressed resentment. A substantial number of people had turned up to pay homage to the only god that seems to matter and all the churches were closed. This was wrong. We drifted back to the car like others, probably wearing the same slightly hurt expression as if we had unexpectedly been kneed in the groin by a favourite aunt.

We are in a grey area here. A few years ago we would not have expected anywhere to be open. A couple of years time and we will be truly cross to find anywhere closed. But now, here, frustratingly, we are ahead of the curve. Nobody I saw today looked like they were embarrassed at making a mistake. This is Easter Sunday. Easter Eggs, bunnies, all that. Open the bloody shops.