Paragraph Review Eight - And so on, by Spiralese

A man sat alone on the steps of a building in the middle of a city. It was a busy afternoon, a constant crowd of motion eddied around him. He watched the ground.
            After a time another man came and sat beside him and, having looked about, asked, “He’s not here yet?”
            The first man gestured a reply of, can you see him?
            The newcomer gave a shrug of, fair enough. He sat back. It was warmer than expected and he was regretting his choice of clothes. Something on the other side of the square caught his eye. He squinted against the sun. “Isn’t that …” he trailed, pointing with the stubble on his chin.
            The other looked up and nodded his head.
            “But who’s she with?” continued the second man, the man on the right. “I think it’s that senator.”
            The other raised a hand against the sun, nodded, then returned his eyes to the ground.
            “Dirty old git,” said the man on the right.
            They waited again. A third man joined them, immediately asking, “Isn’t he here yet?”
            “Can you see him here?” asked the man on the right, now the one in the middle.
            “Okay, okay,” the newcomer answered, nettled by the tone. “I’m only asking.” He sat back and regarded the afternoon shoppers busily pumping the heart of the city’s commercial district.
            “There’s what’s-her-name,” he said with surprise. “Look, there. She’s with that senator.”
            “We know,” sighed the man in the middle, now thoroughly bored with waiting. He was thinking about the cool shops behind him, the shade they afforded. But he stayed where he was.
            Soon enough another man joined them. He sat down. “He isn’t here yet?”
            The first man rolled his eyes. The second tutted.
            “This could go on all day,” joked the third man.

A man sat alone on the steps of a building in the middle of a city. It was a busy afternoon, a constant crowd of motion eddied around him. He watched the ground.

(This isn't a bad opener.  Simple - but simple can work.  I'd like to see some description soon though.)

            After a time another man came and sat beside him and, having looked about, asked, “He’s not here yet?”

(I'd suggest making this more than one sentence and putting the dialogue on its own line, but those are copy edit things.  So far, we're at 'okay'.)

            The first man gestured a reply of, can you see him?

(And were I reading a submission, we'd be done right here.  If the writer can't show me a shrug and a gesture, rather than telling me about it, this is going to be a long, dull ride.)

            The newcomer gave a shrug of, fair enough.

(Again, give visual cues to lead the reader to the 'fair enough' conclusion, don't just tell him/her about it.)

 He sat back. It was warmer than expected and he was regretting his choice of clothes.

(Give a little something more to go on - is this guy wearing an overcoat in spring?  A snowsuit on an unexpectedly warm winter day? A suit in the middle of a July heatwave?

You don't have to get bogged down in minutiae, but I have zero idea what's going on here.)

 Something on the other side of the square caught his eye. He squinted against the sun. “Isn’t that …” he trailed, pointing with the stubble on his chin.

('Pointing with the stubble' made me giggle, but not in a good way. Is this dude's beard sentient?  I do like getting the unshaven detail of the character - but I bet you have a better presentation in you.)

            The other looked up and nodded his head.

(What else could he be nodding?)

            “But who’s she with?” continued the second man, the man on the right. “I think it’s that senator.”

(While we don't need to know who 'she' is just yet, I'd like to see some sense of place.  Did they watch her get into a limo?  Having lunch in a park?  Are they looking into a hotel room?  Something.)

            The other raised a hand against the sun, nodded, then returned his eyes to the ground.

(Is anyone else having trouble figuring out which man is doing what yet?  I am.)

            “Dirty old git,” said the man on the right.

(Is this about the senator, or about the other man watching?)

            They waited again. A third man joined them, immediately asking, “Isn’t he here yet?”

(Shoot me.  Now there are three unknowns.  Aside from one having stubble, they make the same gestures, speak in the same voice, and have no distinguishing characteristics.  Unless they're waiting for Godot, there better be a point soon.)

            “Can you see him here?” asked the man on the right, now the one in the middle.

(Gah.)

            “Okay, okay,” the newcomer answered, nettled by the tone. “I’m only asking.” He sat back and regarded the afternoon shoppers busily pumping the heart of the city’s commercial district.

(Ok, we now have a clue as to where they are.  Nobody's stopped to comment on three guys sitting on a stoop in a busy shopping area?  We also now have a time: afternoon.  But it's far too little, far too late.)

            “There’s what’s-her-name,” he said with surprise. “Look, there. She’s with that senator.”

            “We know,” sighed the man in the middle, now thoroughly bored with waiting.

 He was thinking about the cool shops behind him, the shade they afforded. But he stayed where he was.

(So far, there's absolutely no logical reason for these three people to still be sitting here.  Do none of them have cel phones?)

            Soon enough another man joined them. He sat down. “He isn’t here yet?”

            The first man rolled his eyes. The second tutted.

            “This could go on all day,” joked the third man.

(This reads like a really boring telling of a joke without a punchline.)

I have no idea what this piece is about, and there's not enough here to make me care.