Mall Shopping (Yes, Crazy Are We)
Janette, with that wonderful time-means-nothing-to-me sensibility, suggested we go for a mall stroll today. Yesterday, everything was closed. Today, it was time to stretch our legs.
I mentioned, in passing, that it might be busy today. As a former product returns manager, I remember the day after Christmas all too well.
But we went anyway.
We took side streets to Washington Square. I was convinced that the freeway would be bumper-to-bumper to our main suburban shopping destination. We crawled across Murray, swung left at Scholl's Ferry, and... got stuck in traffic with everyone else who also thought: hey, the freeway's going to be packed! Let's take side streets!
But I digress. We did stumble into a just opening disability-access parking space right outside Nordstrom. We unpacked Hannah's chair, emergency bag, suction bag, feeding supply backback, and toiletry bag. We rested. Then we pulled Hannah and Gabriel out of the van and headed into the mall.
The mall was wall-to-wall people, but the merchants... the merchants were giving away Stuff. As we traveled store-to-store, we found unannounced Discounts on used Wii games, buy 1 get many more free at a hair-clip store, and reduced price clearance product at Radio Shack. Put a yellow "Used" or "Sale Price" sticker on something and just put it in my hands, people! It's like years of vinyl record collector shows have seeped into my skin. Two dollars off? Sold, to the chump in the Disneyland t-shirt with slightly rabid look in his eyes.
We rested - this time, at Teavana. Teavana is an attempt to Starbuck tea. In a mall full of people, it was a quiet little oasis of unencumbered retail staff (probably working on where to send their resumes should the store fail).
Janette ordered tea at the counter (hers with sugar, mine with honey). Gabriel spotted a kid a little younger than him also tethered to nearby parents. They boy had a t-shirt lit literally with flashing lights. He and this other little boy sat on the tile floor, criss-cross-applesauce, sharing their enthusiasm for all things Spiderman. I watched Gabriel from a distance, unable to hear his words, but watching him patiently wait for the other boy to speak, chime in himself, laugh, smile, and repeat. An instant friendship.
Meanwhile, Hannah was patiently signing for songs, and I complied. We sang "I've Been Working On the Railroad," "Yesterday," "Help!","Tomorrow (from Annie)." She got most of my songbook. She smiled, signed for more, and sat contendedly.
A few minutes later, our teas were up. Gabriel's new friend moved on. Gabriel joined Hannah and me in song. Janette and I juggled bags, who-would-do-what-with-hot-tea-in-hand, and our family faded back into the mall masses.
-- Dad
