Monday, August 15, 2005

Back to School Shopping

At lunch, I had to step out from the office (don't ask - okay stop pressuring me - I'll tell you. After going to Hong Kong (28 hours in a plane for 16 hours of meetings and then back). After getting HK agreement to go live. After working with the stupid Cirrus people in China. After CERTIFING THE SOFTWARE. After all of this. After closing the Hong Kong release. After that, they wrote to me Friday and said - oh yeah. We need 15 more fixes that we said were okay before.)

Anywho - where was I - oh yes, lunch. So I go grab a bite and drop by Target. Bad idea on a Monday. The store was clean, but the stock was a little bare. They had great T-shirts for Eddie - but they were all S or XXL (the M, L and XL being cleaned out this week-end). And it was the same up and down the line of everything I wanted.

So I am leaving, and I see Mom holding up a pair of purple/pink camo (camoflauge?) capris for her daugher - who looks about 11. I think, what a nice mom. She is going to buy her daughter the stupid pants for school. But no, I hear this:

11 Year Old: Mom! PU_lease. You have GOT to be kidding.

Mom (truely perplexed): You don't like them? (no answer except for giant sighs)... Well what's wrong with them?

11 Year Old turns around to make sure no one is watching (Of course - I stopped to watch this little brat through the fit. However, since I was not an 11 year old girl or 13 year old boy - I was ignored.)

11 Year Old: Oh I don't know.... EVERYTHING!! (Mom looks down at the pants and back up at what was once her lovely child - now in habited by the soul of the devil (or at least Paris Hilton).
The joy of her life then utters a breathy 'phuuu' - spins on one hoof and stamps away. But, the silence is too muc. Elvira yells out at no one in particular "OH my GOD!"

Mom looks at me, and smiles weekly.

I smile back at mom (who is younger than me) and say in my best grandfatherly voice, "Fine. You can just wear you have your closet then young lady." Mom gives me a tired smile, hangs the pants back up and tries to find little Linda Blair over in a department which was, I think, marked "16 and not all that slutty".