Tall Girl and I plan a shopping trip. Her school has an In Service Day and Ex Husband has Small Sprog, who hates shopping.
"Where shall we go?" I ask her when we are planning the trip, thinking about which shops she wants to visit. "Cheltenham" is her reply!
"To see Granny?"
"No! To shop"
It is not until I think about it that I realise her thinking. It is an In Service Day; what do Teen Girls do when they're not at school? They shop (well hopefully as that's the most innocuous thing they could do when they're left home alone) All her friends will be shopping, with each other, not their mothers. She has a dilemma, shopping with me means she has access to cash (little does she know) but it also means she cannot relax, she is instead on permanent look out for anyone she knows. See them first and she dives into the nearest shop, or behind the nearest rail, heaven forbid they may see her shopping with her mother, shock horror!
So I agree to take her to Cheltenham, if only for the fact that we can relax and not be peering around shop fittings every few minutes, like something out of an old spy movie.
As we drive there she talks animatedly about her forthcoming birthday. On arrival she directs me through the town the way she likes to go. All of a sudden she starts to wave and flap her arm about. "What are you doing?" I ask her suspiciously
"Oooh, I was so excited at seeing Cult" - one of her favourite shops - "That I waved at it by accident"!
By accident? And she thinks I'm embarrassing.
Bless her! That made me laugh so much!
ReplyDeleteAh..... teenagers are expected to be embarrassing but mothers must never be!
ReplyDeleteHope you had a wonderful time together and that you didn't bump into your mother. (Or worse still, that she saw you but you didn't see her!)
Maggie X
Nuts in May
I hope she didn't spend too much time peering anxiously around the shop fittings. The shop staff would probably take her for a shoplifter.
ReplyDeleteWe did manage a quick visit to see her Maggie, there would have been trouble otherwise!
ReplyDeleteWhats an "in service day"? Just writing a post about shopping with women. About how they cant handle it.
ReplyDeleteA teacher training day Dicky, when the school is closed during the working week (scourge of full time workers!)
ReplyDeleteBrave man writing that post! I'll pop along later :-)
Waving at a shop? Still, better that than being in the shop and waving goodbye to your money. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell, I could say it's nice to see Tall Girl passionate about something. But a store? Ah, um, er, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteA cute, delightful story. With a thoroughly appropriate ending!
What a lovely loony!
ReplyDeleteAh the tough decision between mums wallet and her street cred! Great post!
ReplyDeleteNo, you'd still be more embarrassing!
ReplyDelete