The face of terror wears Sephora

After work, having witnessed the unfortunate union between my cell phone and a cup of coffee (yes, I know, liquid is bad for these devices), I headed over to the Chevy Chase/Friendship Heights/Mazza shopping center to the phone store...only to find a phalanx of cops and my entrance banned by yellow tape.

A "suspicious package" was the reason for my barred entry.

At that point, I half expected the staff of Cheesecake Factory to pop out from around the corner and burst into song about their "suspiciously yummy" chocolate volcano.

But no, the Cheesecake staff was cordoned off across the street cooling their heels amid smoothies and fresh copies of Capitol File and DC Style. I went to the second floor to peek out from the antique store's big window.

Growing up, I always had been awed by people in cities like Jerusalem and Beirut for how they never let the threat of bombings keep them from shopping centers and the errands of daily life. Today, however, I realized that part of that courage may just possibly have stemmed from impatience and annoyance. Because a suspicious package sure can put a damper on one's "to do" list.

After an hour, the phone store was closed; however, the good news - whatever threat that had existed had been contained.

But what did that package contain that would have aroused suspicion?

- A pair of tasteful men's embroidered shorts from J Crew?
- A shirt at Chico's devoid of gauze, pleats, sequins or appliqued flowers?
- A dinner portion at Rock Creek that actually fills one up?

Hmmmm...