Retail Therapy
September 5, 2006 at 0:51 Today I woke up tired and irritable. Gone was the sweet smiley mom who had spent Saturday at an amusement park with her kids, who then stayed up until after midnight making a birthday cake and special breakfast dish for her son, who cheerfully attended church on Sunday and hosted guests on Sunday afternoon. Today I just wanted to flop on the sofa and be alone. Too bad that wasn’t an option.
E, ever energetic and hard-working, got up early this morning and went on a long run, and then planned a day of hedge trimming and yard work. He put the labor in Labor Day. In an effort to separate my bickering children and do something productive, I dragged my crabby ass out of the house with my effervescent daughter in tow, on our way to the mall, my spirits slowly rising
While I often hit the mall in the States, this was only my second time in a mall since moving here 18 months ago. E-Grrrl, an enthusiastic shopper, was dressed in a dark pink polo dress with a big white bow in her light blonde hair. She looked like a bon-bon and eagerly grabbed my hand as we headed up the stairs into the mall. We were on a quest seeking gifts for four people. Fun, fun, fun.
First stop: the cosmetics section of Galleria Inno where I paused at the L’Occitane section to sniff candles and soaps and read lotion labels. I especially loved the Verbena scented products and the shea butter moisturizers. E-Grrrl sampled the children’s colognes and briefly considered buying a bottle until she realized it would cost 34 euros. Still completely in the thrall of my Guy Dellforge perfume that I bought when Lynn was here in July, I didn’t even consider trying a new cologne, but I made a mental note of the one E-Grrrl favored (Papillon), in case I decided to splurge for her birthday or Christmas.
E-Grrrl is a compulsive nail biter trying hard to kick the habit so she can delve into my nail polish. She found a bottle of bitter-tasting liquid to paint on her nails to keep her fingers out of her mouth. It was expensive. But then I considered how hard she had been working on breaking her bad habit for weeks now. I couldn’t let her down when she was motivated and making an effort. Into the basket went the nail biting remedy.
With our cosmetic purchases in hand we continued on our way, stopping in a toy store next where E-Grrrl debated the merits of various Clickits and Polly Pocket sets. She wanted to think things over before spending any allowance, so we agreed to stop back later.
Next stop was Go Sports where I was searching for a pocket knife as a gift for a friend of A’s in the States. I’m singularly non-athletic but I love athletic and outdoor clothing stores. I didn’t find a suitable pocket knife there but did find a Columbia shirt on clearance for myself, plus a top for a girlfriend. I’ve been craving a pair of Adidas soccer slides but didn’t try any on.
Near the checkout, E-Grrrl picked up a small massage device and whisked it down my spine. Oh, it felt so good. Eight euros!?! She tried it on me again and my sore back sighed and loosened up a bit. I decided to buy it—cheaper than massage therapy.
E-Grrrl needed a bathroom break so we had to double back and find one at the entrance where we came in. Then we went to the nature store, another favorite of ours, full of everything from telescopes to hats to gardening supplies to New Age music to aromatherapy fragrances and cool kids toys. In the children’s section, I found the perfect pocket knife for A’s friend.
Nearby was a locked vertical display case with jewelry in it. An amber necklace caught my eye—two silver wire cables with light and dark beads. Not very expensive and in the warm golden colors that I wear all the time. Choker length too. Still I was resisting its lure, grateful the locked case kept me from taking the necklace and heading straight to the checkout. I was slowly backing away when I spotted an employee nearby unloading a box. My resolution crumbled. I asked her in French if she would show me the necklace. And then once I tried it on I had to have it. I realized at the checkout that the price tag I'd seen in the case applied to the matching bracelet, not the necklace as I'd thought. Didn't cost a lot but it cost more than expected. Oops.
After leaving the nature store, we went to a stationery store where we love to admire notebooks, fancy papers, scrapbooking tools, stencils, and art supplies. With school starting, it was jammed packed and after a few minutes of trying to navigate in the crowded store, we left.
By now I was all shopped out and had bought gifts for everyone. I wasn't interested in checking out the stores on the other side of the mall corridor. We went back to the toy store where E-Grrrl bought a Polly Pocket set.
On our way to the Metro, we struggled to resist the siren call of Australian ice cream cones. By the time we caught the bus to our village and dragged ourselves home from our stop, I was exhausted. E-Grrrl generously agreed to work on my back with the hand massager.
“Wait,” she said, “Let me cut the tag off.” She traipses off with it, grabs the scissors, cuts the plastic thread, and drops the massager onto our ceramic tile floor where it breaks into four pieces.
Sigh. Whimper. Sigh.
I won’t admit how much that hurt.
Family
Reader Comments (4)
Great post, about a rather mundane experience - and it shows all the love between you and E-grrrl.
Oh, a cute N-grl/Polly Pocket story. N got a hand me down Polly treasure box full of Polly stuff. She loves it. So it has the pool. Meanie Mom won't let her fill the pool with water so the Polly's can swim. So what does this creative 4 year old do? She goes to the freezer, pulls out the perfect sized ice pack and converts it into an ice rink!! Now that is thinking.