CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO – shopping again (filler)

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile. 5 reviews gets next chapter early.

I feel like a kid in a candy shop who's been told they can have anything they want. I can't work out where to go to first but after a few minutes of looking around I decide to sort out Jax's stuff first, after all that's what I'm there for.

Heading to the kitchen area I head straight for the ovens, I'm slightly disappointed by the selection that they have, but find a fairly standard one that will do Jax's kitchen perfectly fine. It's not like he'll use it often. Writing down the product code for it I turn to go find fridges when I see the exact oven I want. Its 2 ovens stacked one on top of the other that slots into a wall. I note down the product code for it as well, making sure to put beside them which one is which.

Then we go hunting for the cook top, and the range hood that will have to be installed as well, finding one that's perfect its product code gets written down.

Walking over to the fridges we pass the microwaves so I check those as well, eventually finding one that will be perfect for Jax, it has a pre-set settings for one touch cooking, I end up noting that down for both of us as the rest of them are pretty average.

Walking through the fridges Gemma and I start talking about Jax's kitchen and how much he actually has there, we decide on a normal fridge. The freezer at the bottom is made of 2 draws instead of shelves and the top part has a single draw for produce. Seeing I've already picked a couple of the things I know I'll need I decide to get the rest as well so wander round a little longer looking at the fridges. I finally find one that I like, it's a double width fridge with the fridge on the top, with French doors that open, and the freezer is the bottom half of the fridge but it's made up of draws instead of shelves as well. The product code for that gets written down with the other ones.

I debate with myself as we're checking out the chest freezers as to if I'll actually need one, in the end I decide I may as well order one cause if I don't use it I can leave it turned off, and if I do need one I'll kick myself for not having brought it now. Finding a fairly large chest freezer I note its code down, even though it doesn't have the option of the stainless steel finish I figure it's not going to be in the kitchen with the rest of the appliances so it doesn't matter if it doesn't match.

The dishwasher doesn't take much time either, and as I've been adding codes I've noticed I seem to be sticking with one brand, I don't know if it's subconscious or if they just have the ones I like the most.

We walk around the rest of the store and I find a coffee machine that I decide I have to have and tucked in the corner are the washer and dryer units so I add them to the list of codes I'm walking around with, of all the things I've picked the only ones that are voluntarily white are the washer/dryer.

I'm surprised that we haven't been approached yet, we've been in the store for at least 20 minutes, but I guess we've been talking between us and haven't been looking around for help. We walk towards the counter and suddenly a salesman appears and starts their usual spiel. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Gemma chuckles and shakes her head when I reply, "Well, now that I've found everything I want I'd like you to process the payment and arrange delivery thanks."

"Certainly, this way please." He leads us to a computer set up in the corner and spends a couple of minutes sorting it out before he looks up and asks me what it was that I wanted.

While I real off the product codes to him he punches them in, I can see with each number he enters his forehead creasing a little more and I'm sure by the last one he's wondering how on earth I plan on paying for all the things I've just ordered. He takes all my details for the warranty period and I'm glad that it can all be done over the computer; it would irritate me if I had to fill out multiple lots of warranty cards for stuff purchased from the same place at the same time.

He finally adds in the last of the codes and looks at the total, I'm sure if he were able to he would start muttering, but he fixes a smile on his face and looks back at me, "Now, would you like us to arrange a payment plan?" His voice has taken a condescending tone and I really would like to smack him.

"No. What I do want though is assurance that these items will all be delivered Wednesday. They are going to one address in Charming." I write down Jax's address and pass it over. "There will be someone there on Wednesday morning to direct as only 3 of the appliances are going into the house; the rest will be stored in the garage."

"Certainly, and the payment?" He asks again.

I rummage in my bag and pull out my card holder, flicking through a number of cards I eventually decide to use the bank card, none of my credit cards get much use, but I do keep them on me at all times.

Passing over the card I don't even blink as he starts talking again, "So your total is sixteen thousand, two hundred and five dollars, we'll do the delivery free with this amount of an order."

I mentally roll my eyes, damn right the delivery will be free. I can tell he's expecting me to be shocked, but I'd been running a total in my head so I wasn't surprised in the slightest. "Okay." I say and he gets this little grin on his face like he's waiting for the transaction to be declined. Entering my details into the tiny machine I hand it back to him and wait.

"Thank you ma'am. The delivery will be done on Wednesday as requested, we will contact you Tuesday night to confirm the time." He's suddenly all smiles and niceness but I just collect all the paperwork and leave.

Walking through the doors Gemma grabs hold of my shoulder, "Did you seriously just spend 16 thousand dollars on appliances!?"

"Yes I did." I say smiling at her. "After all, I was taught to get what I want when I want it."

Gemma splutters, the words I've just said to her are ones she said to me many years ago. "And besides that Gem, if I pay that much now then I won't have to replace them in 5 years. And they're all already there when I start renovating my kitchen."

Gemma nods and climbs back in her car. "We have about 30 minutes before we have to be back on the road home. Any suggestions?"

I direct her to the sale warehouse that I had found during my trip with the girls the previous week and this time I get past the shoes. Walking out exactly 29 minutes after we walked in there. I've ended up replacing some of the clothes of Donna's that Craig destroyed; I have a bag for her with 4 tops and 3 pairs of pants in it. The fact that in the time we were in there I also managed to get another 3 pairs of jeans for both Opie and Jax as well as about a dozen tops, 5 skirts, 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts and more shoes surprises Gemma.

"I thought I was doing well." She's in the process of tucking her 3 bags into the back seat.

"Why's that?" I ask.

"I got 2 pairs of boots, 2 shirts and a pair of jeans." She says looking at the piles of bags I'm carrying.

"I was here with Donna, Al and Cam last week. I didn't make it past the shoes. Plus I had to replace the clothes of D's that got destroyed." I tell her, shoving the bags in the luggage compartment.

Kip comes over to us, "Happy says it's time to go."

We both nod and Gemma says, "We're going, we're going."

We're just on the outskirts of Stockton 15 minutes later when my phone rings from the bottom of my bag. Fishing it out I see it's Mandy ringing.

"Hey Mandy, how's things?" I say cheerfully.

"I was good till about 10 minutes ago." She says, "Now however I'm exceptionally irritated."

"What's up?" I ask her while thinking 'Oh shit, I wonder what I've done.'

"The final paperwork hasn't made it to Mark and Carol's lawyer yet so I can't give you the keys, even though I have the letter from your lawyer saying the payment was made, and they have spoken to their lawyer who has received the payment." She sounds really annoyed.

"So what happens now?" I ask I'm not sure what we do from here.

"Their lawyer holds the payment till the paperwork gets there for them to sign. In the meantime I'll ring FedEx and find out where the fuck the important document folder I sent is." She tells me. "I really am sorry about this Sarah."

"It's not your fault Mandy, it's all good. Just let me know when I can collect the keys. I just ordered a whole lot of stuff for the remodel." I tell her.

"Yeah, 16 grand's worth of stuff." Gemma says from the driver's seat.

"I heard that Gemma." Mandy giggles, "What did you do?"

"I brought entirely new kitchen appliances. And replaced 3 of her sons ones at the same time."

"And you spent that much? Oh well, never mind. I'll ring you when I know what's happening."

"Okay." I hang up the phone and tuck it back in my bag.

Gemma makes a couple of phone calls, to Clay and one to Neeta before she turns on the stereo, the rest of the trip back is mostly free from conversation, just us singing along to the songs on the radio.