Mall Rats

When I got back from work, I came online to see if Melanie was on.  We’d made tentative plans to go to Jersey Garden mall today.  Anyway, we IMed and she said her sister, Lauren, was coming too.  So about twenty minutes later, she picked me up and we were on our way.

The place is gorgeous.  That mall is incredible.  I wish I’d had more time to just slowly meander around.  It’s what I like doing in malls I’ve never been to before.  My only grievance is that it doesn’t have a Spencer’s.  But oh, well.

We went into a book store where I looked at some journals and a V.C. Andrews book I don’t have.  Then we went to the food court.  Lemme see . . .  we went a bunch of different places.  I bought two hats, a pink one and a black one.  A keychain of the main character from Full Metal Alchemist.  A Care Bear mini-plush of the Panda from that one episode of the cartoon show way back when.  And another pair of smiley socks.  I think that’s all I got.

I was so tempted, when we were at a video/music store, to buy this cardboard cutout of Aragorn from LOTR.  I so want that cutout, but I didn’t want to pay 25 dollars for it and lug it throughout the rest of the mall.

When we went to leave we accidentally went out the wrong door and spent about fifteen minutes in the parking lot trying to find her car.  To no avail, obviously.  Finally, we went back in and figured out the right exit to leave by.

She dropped me off and I got the Boy Meets World season to give back to her.  After that, I came upstairs, showed Mike what I bought, and we played a couple games of Meelee.  Then we lazed about on my bed until we went for a drive to get some food.  Yay for subs!

So now I’m back here, typing and deabting going to that outdoor rink for half an hour or so.  It is two AM and I do have work in the morning . . .  Well, okay, at noon.  But still.  I wanna skate for a bit.  Maybe I will.  I don’t know.  I still have to take a shower.

One thing bugged me today.  Well, more than one, but only one I care to write about.  It turns out that the Mary Melanie knows from Marshall’s is the same one I knew when I was a kid.  It also turns out she recognized me from a picture Melanie showed her or something.  And the first thing she says is something about she knew who I was and I used to pull her hair.

I know it’s a stupid thing to be insulted about, but I was, a little.  I mean, it’s like anyone who knew me before the age of fourteen only has negative things to say about me, whether it’s something as little as that to . . .  I don’t know.  Something bigger.  I mean, I remember things about her and none of them so far are flattering.  When we were kids, she was this shy, asthmatic follower who switched between being “best friends” with me and this other girl named Michelle, to being “best friends” with Michelle and this other girl named Sherri at the drop of a hat.  One week, she hated me, the next, we were good friends.

::Sighs::  I suppose this is petty of me.  I mean, such is the life of grade schoolers.  Honestly, though, I hope she has changed for the better.  Because I remember her being a snotty little bitch who turned on her friends whenever it was convenient.

But then, I don’t want people remembering me negatively, so I suppose I shouldn’t let those memories cloud who she could be now.  Frankly, if she’s a good friend to Melanie, then I’m happy for her.

I just can’t get over that it’s the same person, though.  I guess the apple did fall far from the tree in her case.  I mean, her mom is one of the most staunchly Catholic people I’ve ever met.  What kind of Catholic, God only knows, but still.  Anyway, I honestly expected the only thing alcoholic that Mary would ever drink in her life would be the sip of wine during communion.  Yet there she is, going to bars.

I can’t strike an equilibrium between the two images in my mind.  It’s just . . . too strange.

And this only adds to my theory that everyone you met eventually comes back to haunt you.  Okay, I don’t exactly call this haunting and she’s not even in my life directly, but even so.

All in all, though, this was a good day.  And I still have some money left over.  Go me!

Oh, I forgot to mention this.  I’m making it a point to save up a hundred dollars in each bill, singles through twenties, and in quarters, dimes, and nickels.  Well, I managed my first hundred with ten dollar bills.  I went over to the bank on Thursday and got my hundred dollar bill in exchange for the tens.  And I’m almost there with quarters.  At the end of the summer, I’m counting how many hundred dollar bills I have and then put them into my account.  At the very least, I’m gonna have five hundred, because I should be able to manage all four paper bills and the quarters by then.

Then I can start in on what I’m gonna do about Brookdale.

I swear, I hope I hear about the Strawberry Festival soon.  I need to know if I have to request off from Keansburg that day.