Hi everyone and welcome back! Today I’m going
to tell you the story of why I hate going shopping in sale season, and when I
say going, I mean the verb to go in its literal meaning, which according to Oxford
dictionary is:
intr. Move from one place to another.
That’s
what I mean, moving. Actually moving myself to go shopping. Everything started
two days ago, when a young, inexperienced and naïve Pepa decided to go around
the stores to check out some bargains. Silly me. Every year by this time I
always tell myself “I won’t go shopping in sales ever again” and every year I
go. It’s like my kryptonite.
So, there I was, with my music on and summoning
all my patience, ‘cause I knew there’d be tons of people and I
was going to suffer. I knew and I didn’t care. I went to one of my favorite
stores to check if they had some pants I’d seen on the website and instantly
loved. A Capri model, ankle-length with checked print in green and navy.
Fabulous.
After crossing Gran Vía against the
current –those who aren’t familiarized with this street must know it doesn’t
matter the direction you take, the rest of the world, congregated there with
the one purpose of filling the space, will always walk in the opposite
direction- I got into the shop. Uff…too many people –I thought- but I defeated
the laziness and went into the beast’s lair.
When I finally managed to make my
way among hordes of women, men, children and elderly with arthritis who run
like a hare when they see something with 50% off, I found them. I looked at them; they looked at me and smiled.
This part of the story may not be fully truthful, but I could assure they were shinning
and giving off heat, while the wind -which seems to originate in them- whispered
to me “try them on…try them on...” and I, as anyone who has seen Pocahontas and
consequently knows the wind is usually right, decided to try them on.
After 90 minutes waiting in the fitting room’s queue,
I finally got in. I was already fed up, and that tight cubicle in which there
is only one hanger to hang the coat, scarf, beanie and pants didn’t help.
Managing I don’t know how, I took the pants I was wearing off and try the
others on, everything without taking my shoes off, because I’m lazy and what
the hell, we all do it.
It was done. Buttoned up and zipped,
I looked at myself in the mirror…What was that?! My legs, usually a
little chubby but nothing out of the ordinary, looked panoramic, in 16:9, with Dolby
surround, 4D and extended director’s cut. ¿What was happening there? For better
understanding of the situation, an explicative picture below:
THAT was happening. I took the pants
off and everything went back to its place, I tried them on again and suddenly I
got wider than taller. Desperation. I took them off cursing everyone I’ve
ever met. Fucking
pants, fucking checked, fucking shoes that don’t let me take the pants off,
fucking discomfort when I finally have to take the shoes off and try to keep
balance with the fucking fingertip of the fucking thumb toe to avoid touching
the fucking floor.
In my knickers, with literally my
pants down, remembering why last year I decided not to go shopping in sales
ever again and without been able to believe how much time I lost in the queue,
I sat in the stool and huge tears of hopelessness became to emerge from my eyes.
A memory of my childhood crossed my mind in
that moment. I was a kid and I got sick in the school, pooping myself, so I had
to wait for my mum to come and save me. Could I do that? Could I call my mum
and ask her to rescue me, hug me and tell me everything is going to be ok? Could
I? Would she come?
Finally, with my last trace of
dignity, I realized of my look, in knickers and crying because those fucking
pants look like shit on me. I looked at myself in the mirror and told me: “you’re
an adult woman, behave like it. Put your pants on and get out of here with your
head held high. Take refuge at your home and next year…don’t go shopping in
sale season!
And that is how, my friends, I, age
24 (incredible), cried naked in a fitting room and swore I’d never ever try to
shop something I had to try on in sales season. I still allow myself to buy
complements and shoes, though. For now…
Pepa. xx