I took Kaela shopping tonight, and we ended up at Walmart. She was looking for a new purse. We'd gone somewhere else first, and she'd scored the last of their stock of the new Nancy Drew video game, which made it a VERY GOOD NIGHT. But that first store didn't have any purses she liked, so we decided to try Walmart.
It had been a very good day, too. By definition, that means we didn't have anything planned, and we didn't have to hurry up and get anything done by a deadline, and we didn't have to be anywhere special at any certain time. I did a lot of catching up on little odds and ends--"puttering," my husband calls it--and even managed to watch MOST of a baseball game! Think of that!
The last couple of weeks have been REALLY hectic, with rodeo and all, and I felt bad that, a couple of times, I'd told Kaela no, she couldn't do something she wanted to do. There is only so much I can fit into a schedule and maintain my sanity. And, kids being kids, enough is never enough. There is always the next thing to do, or that desire to stretch the current time with a friend into more hours, or another day or two. So I was glad to feel somewhat rested and restored, enough to take Kaela out shopping for her game and a new purse. It was her money; all I did was drive.
So, we were at Walmart. We always find Walmart--interesting. Kaela seems even more highly tuned to some of the more interesting features than I am. Tonight as we headed down the aisle towards the accessories department, she commented, under her breath, "If you've had a baby-child, you should put some CLOTHES on."
I was clueless. I hadn't noticed anything other than a group of people wandering by. I may have halfway registered a few tatooes.
"Skimpy clothes?" I asked.
"Belly shirt--NO, up to HERE!" she declared, holding her hand across her upper rib section.
"Hmmmm." A thought occurred to me. "It's not only Walmart, it's Friday night," I noted.
She slapped her forehead. "Oh, right."
Then it got really weird, even for Walmart. Everywhere we went, people were running into their friends. It's like they all knew each other. Each time we witnessed another such exchange--"Hey, Bubba!" "You headed over to Earl's, too?"--we exchanged a quick glance, just to make sure we were both seeing the same thing and weren't either one of us imagining some huge Walmart Culture Takeover Of The Population At Large.
Even at the checkout line, two hefty, shaved-head men in camos were calling out to each other from lines at registers 19 and 21. "You goin' to Luke's wedding?" "Unfortunately, yeah." (I am not making up this dialogue.)
I had a scary thought. "Do you see anyone we know?" I asked Kaela, glancing around nervously.
"No," she said quickly, staring ahead and not even checking, like she was terrified of what she might see.
Then, there came a ray of hope and clarity. Our checker demonstrated intelligence and wit above and beyond the call of duty when she asked us if we wanted a bag for the purse Kaela was buying, or not. And, when Kaela declined, she commented, "No, you have no idea how many people want a BAG for the BAG they're buying. Like, really?"
And we were restored to balance and harmony, and headed for the door, almost free of Walmartland, when there came a voice, and I saw--a--face--I--KNEW.
It was my cousin's fiance. And then next to her, I saw my cousin.
"Oh my god, there are people we know here," said Kaela, and she was laughing a little hysterically.
Well, there you have it. We, too, must be Walmart people! I don't ever, ever wear a belly shirt, but I do have a tattoo.
