Readers read everywhere

"I'm done. That's it. I can't take another minute walking around in this hardware store," I thought after forty minutes of waiting for my husband. My empathy for poor men who have to tag along women in clothing stores grew in bounds. When you are in an environment that you have no interest in, the nerves and patience are tested, and eventually you become completely bored and numb.
Obviously I didn't go to the hardware store for fun. I had to choose paint for my kitchen walls. Unfortunately I had arrived there way before my husband. At first I was purposeful. I found the types of paints we needed. I looked through the numerous paint samples and limited our choices to few. Then I walked around the aisles checking out other products - some that I recognized like nails, screws, hammers, brushes, saws, pliers, tapes, wires, sand paper;  and some that I had no clue what they were used for and with inability to remember their names. There were abnormally too many types of everything.  I walked once, then took a different route, then tried to look closer at some of the things. Then I reached my limit. I had done plenty of walking and plenty of "exploring."
I looked around for a sofa. Fine, a bench. A stool? Nothing. For a moment I thought of sitting on the huge paint cans but feared denting them with my bottom. I found a shelf with some space between the cans, lifted my shoulder bag onto the shelf, opened the bag, took out "The Curious Incident of the Dog at the Nigth-Time" and started reading. Did I look strange to others? Maybe. Probably.  I didn't care. Readers can read anywhere they wish.

Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers