Katelyn's Shopping Adventures*

52 Stories in 52 Weeks: ## 39 Katelyn’s Shopping Adventures *

By: Mr. George D. Patnoe., Jr.'s Ambidextrous Brain + Spiritual Mind.

Every week or so, Oklahoma’s Katelyn and her friends do what many young girls and young ladies and even older ladies all do at one time or another in America and all around the globe. They shop for one reason or another, and for all kinds of reasons. They all love searching for stuff, which in today’s modern terminology would be called shopping. To replace the millions year old tradition of looking for fruits and vegetables, modern day ladies of all ages look for stuff by shopping in small or grand stores. They just love the hunt to find needy things to make their earthly lives and survival better. Plus, hanging out with their gal friends is fun too. Not that all gals love shopping mind you, but many do. The gals in a town in Oklahoma found their adventures as fun as they could make them, without spending to much money. In the end, they even made a few bucks too.

Katelyn never felt unhappy as a growing child, but when she started to feel that unhappiness flowing into her awareness, she knew that a local mall or store would provide her with a way to forget any sadness that might ruin her day. There was always a store with a smiling face waiting for her. Katelyn always enjoyed being address with, ‘Hi, how are you today? Can you help you find something?’ Katelyn knew that she would not receive that kind of treatment in every store, but she always anticipate the chance for a smiling face with some kind words.

At least once a week, the United States Postal Service’s delivery person always dropped a very colorful advertisement into her postal mail box. Most of the time, the mailing were very colorful, with huge numbers that brought excitement to her mind. Those numbers always bought a sense of saving to Katelyn’s pocketbook, even though she still knew that she would still be spending money. Still, the discounts of 10%, or 20%, or even 30% or 50% for some items. Katelyn had never studied how to subtract those percentages from the total purchase charge, but her mind always saw savings.

It all began when Katelyn shopped with her shopping mother Her mother taught her many tricks of shopping. Back in those days, shopping was a little different, with a few different tricks. One of those tricks was to search the newspapers and other magazines for the current coupons to save money from their total purchasing total charge. She would help her mother cut out the coupons with nice orange plastic scissors Her mother never taught Katelyn how to subtract the savings from the total charge, but her mother was always so excited when she did not have to pay the full price for anything. Sometimes, her mother would save money on every item and young Katelyn was so proud of her mother for saving money on every item. Young Katelyn knew that she would always carry those memories of their shopping moments together; of shopping every week, and sometimes more than once a week. Stepping into the car always bought the sense of adventure. Sitting in the car’s front seat was fun

Katelyn also loved to sit in the store’s cart, as her mother pushed her up and down every aisle. The hunt for new items in the store was so fun. Katelyn loved to search for all of the new items. She would play a mind game with herself. She would try to remember every item in the store and then look for new items the next week. Her mother was always surprised when her daughter blurt out the items down the isle before they had started down the isle.

But slowly, but surely, Katelyn grew up and became a mother herself. The old fashion coupons were now in Sunday newspapers, but Katelyn always remembered those fun games: trying to save money, buying colorful boxes, opening them up when she arrived home, and using everything she could use. Grocery store shopping was not so much fun as a adult, but Katelyn watched as a new giant mall was being built in her neighborhood. Her mother was never a mall shopper, but Katelyn could not imagine what kind of stores would be in the giant mall.

After the mall was built, huge signs were erected around the mall. MAMMOTH MALL was its name. Katelyn learned when the MAMMOTH MALL would open its doors and she dreamed of being the first visitor in the MAMMOTH MALL. And she was. She simply walked over to the mall from her house and she waited for the gold framed doors to open at the MAMMOTH MALL. The new gold striped floors, and glittering lights bought a new mood into Katelyn’s brain and mind. She felt as if she was in a new dimension of earthly heaven. All she needed was a credit card.

So, she even applied for and received the MAMMOTH MALL credit card. Katelyn felt very happy to belong to the MAMMOTH MALL credit card club. She was not rich as many of the shoppers who would not go into debt for their new purchases. But that did not stop Katelyn from applying for the big store credit cards too. They all offered discounts whenever a person would use their credit cards, and Katelyn just loved to save money. After all, that was a lesson her mother had taught her. To save money whenever she could save money. In the beginning, Katelyn did not realized that there was a big difference between saving money when using cash for food and clothes versus saving money when using a credit card with interest rates.

On the first day, Katelyn visited every store in the MAMMOTH MALL. It took her hours and hours just to look in every store, which meant she had started up a few conversations with smiling sales people. Her poor little brain felt as if it was finding everything it ever wanted, even things she never knew she wanted. Her poor little brain felt it was getting bigger and bigger.

With so many bags in her two hands, her shoulders began to feel the sore even before she left the MAMMOTH MALL. When she arrived home, she sat down on the couch. She stared at the bags, as she tried to remember what she had bought. It was like Christmas all over again. She opened all of the bags, discovering what she had bought. She knew that some of the items did not fit her life style or her paycheck. But she felt better; until she received the first credit card statement.

She held the credit card statement in her hand as she stood on her front pouch. She looked towards the MAMMOTH MALL. She knew that she could not be able to visit the MAMMOTH MALL often, but that was ok. She decided to return many of the unused items to the MAMMOTH MALL. As she bought each item back, she begin to realized that she was not in heaven at all. She was in a financial trap. She started to remember her mother’s opinions about life’s traps. There were so many traps in life to trick the mind, and shopping in fancy malls was one of them

Katelyn left the MAMMOTH MALL, knowing that she would return only to buy the items she truly needed, after looking for the best bargains else where. Katelyn realized that she still loved to shop just for the fun of it, but that she needed a way to shop just for the fun of it. One day, as she was driving around town, she got lost. She did not have a map, so she just drove around the area, looking for a sign that would point to the highway or a street she knew.

A few signs appeared in her sight. One sign read, ‘Flea market. An arrow was pointed due east.’ Katelyn forgot about searching for the street and highway signs as she turned the car towards the due east direction. Within a few blocks, she noticed the large parking lot. She parked her car and followed the crowd. As she walked through the flea market gate, she realized that people were shipping in an outdoor mall. There were no fancy lights glittering light waves into her eyes, just the sunlight from the sun.

She began her shopping adventure by walking around booths and tables. Katelyn look at all of the tables and she began her hunt for some new stuff. She had no idea what she was looking for, but she looked anyway. She passed every booth and table with a keen eye; a keen eye that was shopping exactly as her mother keen eye would shop. Katelyn’s eyes moved back and forth exactly as tiger would dart its eyes back and forth, looking for the one item that would be worth her time and money. She always wanted to buy at least one item to justify her time.

There it was, the one item that her mind wanted to look at. It was the first item she wanted to touch; a very old looking book. She read the title, "Waverley Novels." Volume 1: by Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (New York: Collier Publisher). She was surprised that she wanted to touch the old book, since she had not owned a single new book since she had left school. After paying $10.00 for her new old book, she left behind the clothes and other items as she left the flea market. Yet, she knew she would return.

Holding the first book that she had held in a long time, she had suddenly realized the she did not notice one book store in the MAMMOTH MALL. There were so many clothing and food stores, and furniture stores, and watch and jewelry stores, and candy stores and toy and game stores, along with luggage stores, and even other nicknack stores. But not one book store in the MAMMOTH MALL. It was like everyone wanted to shop to look pretty and neat, instead of improving their intellectual development. Well dressed bodies with empty minds. Of course, that is not totally true because everyone wants to look good for many reasons. And bookstores were located outside the MAMMOTH MALL, but with nine floors of items to purchase, a bookstore might fit in; or maybe not?

Leaving the flea market parking lot, Katelyn realized that she forgot to ask directions to find her way home. So she drove onward to search for her home. As she drove the car, she saw another sign, ‘GARAGE SALE’ Home disappeared from her mind when she focused on another shopping adventure. She first driveway with items spread out on food tables. Every item had its place, even though it mattered not where everything was located.

After parking her car, Katelyn began her new shopping hunt. Her heartbeat increased when she realized the garage sale was a half block long. Five driveways for five houses on each side of the street with items orderly laid out for the world to observe. Katelyn started her walk, slowly peeking here and there for at least one item to take home with her. ‘Strange!’ she thought. ‘More of them..’ She walked over to the old books and she picked them up. By the same author? She paid her $20.00 for the box of Waverley Novels. She held them as a priced reward for her shopping hunt. She felt proud as she held onto her first collection of old books. Leaving the garage sale, she felt a sense of fulfillment. And she had only spent $20.00.

She found her way home. Holding the box of books in her hand, she walked over to the kitchen sink and she wetted down a small yellow sponge and she wiped off the dust and finger prints from the two old books. She saw down and opened up the first page of the first book. After reading a few pages, she looked at her blank white wall and she knew she would need a bookshelf for her new book collecting hobby.

Perking up her head away from the door buzzed, she forgot her friend Lucy had planned on visiting her. ‘Come on Lucy.’ said Katelyn.

‘Are we going shopping or what?’ asked Lucy.

‘OH, I forgot.’ stated Katelyn. ‘Because I got lost driving home, so I ended up at a flea market and a garage sale. But I am going to start collecting books to read. Now I need some bookshelves, but I do not want to go to the MAMMOTH MALL. Maybe I can find one at a garage sale or at a flea market. What do you think?’

‘You mean you are going to start reading? Just for the fun of it?’ asked Lucy.

‘Sure I am. Do you want to join the club?’

‘What club?’ asked Lucy.’

‘I am thinking of starting a book club.’ stated Katelyn.

‘Why not start a shopping club.’ responded Lucy.

‘Why not start a shopping and reading club. a giggling Katelyn stated.

‘We could shop for everything, including books.’ replied Lucy. ‘Lets go now.’

So the two excited ladies hopped into Lucy’s Jeep and they drove off, to hunt for another garage sale. It was a fun and easy to hunt for a garage sale. Cardboard signs that were hung on street corner metal posts. ‘Garage Sale, >>>> South Market Street.’ Driving to the garage sale seem almost as much fun as shopping. Except for the bookshelves and books, they were not really looking for anything, but they just wanted to look for the fun it; like walking into a summertime carnival to look at the booths; just for the fun of it.

‘Look, there it is.’ as Lucy pointed towards the garage sale.

‘Maybe I can find a nice used bookcase.’ responded Katelyn.

As the two ladies drove up the light yellow house, they noticed a light blue sign with black letters on a maple tree. "Moving Sale: Everything Must Go.’ Lucy and Katelyn hopped out of the Jeep. Katelyn’s eye open wide with amazement. She could not believe her eyes. There it was, almost like a sign from life. There were three tall black bookshelves and two smaller black bookshelves. A set of five matching almost perfectly new and clean bookshelves.

‘How much for the bookshelves?’ blurted out Katelyn. Lucy started to giggle and then loudly laugh at the scene.

Mr. Homeowner walked up to the two ladies. ‘Good afternoon, ladies. How are you today?’

‘We are doing great, but why are you selling those nice bookshelves?’ asked Lucy.

‘I have to move to another state for a new job. We have to move as soon as possible, so everything is a real bargain.’ replied Mr. Homeowner.

‘Why not take it all with you.’ asked Katelyn.

‘We will take the important stuff, but we want to buy new furniture to match the house’s style. The house is a completely different house than this house, so we have to change the furniture. We will be doing a lot of shopping too.’ stated Mr. Homeowner.

‘How much for the five bookshelves.’ asked Katelyn. ‘I am starting a new hobby of collecting and reading books, so I am looking for some bookshelves. I am also thinking of starting a book reading club and a garage sale club too.’

‘Why are you going to start a book club and a garage sale club?’ asked Mr. Homeowner.

‘Well. I live next to the MAMMOTH MALL and I watch people entering and leaving with bags of clothes and other nice stuff, but never with books. But I do not see them entering with books or leaving with books. After my first visit to the MAMMOTH MALL, I told myself that I would stop worrying about fancy clothes and start worrying about my intellectual development; even though I can not afford college. I might as well start reading now and learning as much as I can even though I can not go to college. After all, I live in America where anyone can read any book they want to.’ stated the proud American Katelyn. Plus, I want my children to think more about ideas than about clothes.'

Mr. Homeowner raised his hand to his face and he rubbed his chin with his finger. He quickly questioned how he might help the two ladies start a book club; along with enjoying the adventures of garage sale shopping. Plus, he wanted to get rid of the bookshelves. He turned his head around towards the black bookshelves as if to say goodbye to them. Snapping his head back towards the two smiling ladies he snapped out, ‘How about $100 for the set. Plus, I will tossed in a box of books too. You can choose which books you desire from the piles of books over there.’

Katelyn jumped up and down; just to release the excitement that had been building up in mind. ‘$100.00 for all five of the bookshelves. Plus a box of books too. Are you kidding me? I would be crazy not to take the deal. Could you hold them until I get some help moving them? I could have them out of your yard by dust.’ Katelyn quickly stated. She paid him the $100.00 before she stepped into her Jeep to return home.

Mr. Homeowner felt a certain kind of un-describable joy as anyone would who had helped a human soul discover a new life of reading and saving money by shopping at garage sales. Mr. Homeowner knew that maybe he had helped a young lady improve her life, even if just a little bit.

Katelyn drove home so call some more of her friends. Those friends arrived shortly thereafter and after they were told of the need for speed, they hopped into their Jeeps to return to the Mr. Homeowner’s house. He was surprised that Katelyn’s friends all owned Jeeps, but he had seen stranger things in his lifetime. He watched as they loaded up the five bookshelves and a box of boxes.

When they had reached Katelyn’s house, they helped her bring the bookshelves into the house and place them against the walls. There was some discussion regarding the placement of the bookshelves should be placed, but after a few appraisals and evaluations, they placed all three bookshelves the empty room. A grand idea popped into Katelyn’s mind just before she stated, ‘Lets make this room a reading room.’ So that empty room was delegated the new reading room for the new reading book club. There was no television, just a music box for soft reading music.

They were really happy with the new look of the room. They sat around in Katelyn’s in her plastic chairs, they realized that if she was going to start a reading book club, that she would need better chairs and sofas so people could relax as they sat down to discuss the books they would read. Katelyn’s new book club room would need a new table and chair for the table, along with some nice prints and posters for the walls.

One of her friends suggested that they should search the newspapers and other sources of local information for garage sales and other flea markets. So they searched and they soon found a regular section of a certain section of town that had a garage sale very other weekend during the summer months. The next day, they all drove over to the garage sale section of town, to search for the reading room furniture.

Soon enough, they found a matching set of a nice light brown with gold stripes colored soft cotton sofa with matching chairs. In the same afternoon, she found a big cherry red round table, with matching chairs. And they found a smorgasbord of posters from a library sale and bookstore sales. Prints like: Butterfly on Book, From the Drawing Room, Sunlight on Bookshelves, Classical Literature I, and The Books Of Tastethewind.

Katelyn felt so happy she could hardly keep the excitement from bubbling over. She and her friends sat down and they started to plan their garage sale and flea market strategies, along with what everyone needed or wanted to find for the cheapest of all prices. Everyone made a list of needy items for their own reading rooms.

After their Sunday shopping adventure, after everyone left for their own homes, Katelyn stepped outside to watch the sun go down for the day. The big lights of the MAMMOTH MALL lit up the street and everyone who wanted to buy something new, just for the fun of it. Katelyn knew that some people loved to shop in the brand new expensive MAMMOTH MALL. But she and her girlfriends loved to shop in the garage sales and flea markets. Not every week, but every once in while, when she wanted to shop just for the fun of it, just for the hunt.

They all learned to never bring credit cards, just plain green cash to every shopping adventure.
They learned how to save money and still have fun shopping. Katelyn knew that MAMMOTH MALL was always withing walking distance, so she could always shop there. Unlike most other people who traveled for miles and miles just to experience shopping at the MAMMOTH MALL, as if it was the greatest show on earth; like a huge carnival for shoppers A show for shoppers, so they would never get bored spending money so other people could make a nice profit.

Katelyn and her girlfriends knew something about a profit too. Soon, they learned to deal and wheel with the sellers at the garage sales and the flea markets. Then, after they had bought and collected enough items on the cheap side of the dollar, they would hold their own garage sale. All of her friends would bring over the items they wanted to get rid of, or the items they had bought solely to sell at a profit.

They completed their dreams of starting a reading book club and a club for garage sale and flea shopping, but now they were learning something about business too. Buying stuff for the lowest price and selling the same stuff for a higher price. One day, as Katelyn watched the sun set down over the MAMMOTH MALL, Katelyn began to dream a new dream; of owning her own store in the MAMMOTH MALL.

* A Big Thanks to Oklahoma's Katelyn.