Chapter 10: Shopping at Monroeville Mall
The next day, I met one of my other best friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie, at Golden Corral in Monroeville for breakfast. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Carly greeted back. There were a lot of good things to eat for breakfast, including the special, which was golden waffles. "So, you guys are not going to join me, Alex, Justin, and Max at the mall today?" I asked. "Sorry, but we're not able to," Mr. Benson replied. "Is this because of Carly's health insurance training?" I asked. "No, it's something a little bit more serious than that... actually, a lot more serious," Mrs. Shay told me. "I wanted to let you know that I learned about this when entering high school, as I went to another Golden Corral in Moon Township," Carly told me. "I'm sorry to have to say this, but it is about the... coronavirus!" I gasped. "So, that is why you are not joining us on Sundays for a while?" I asked in shock. "Not to mention, you are going to be joining me, Sarah, James, and Henri in our shifts at Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties beginning this Saturday, and we are planning a Fashion Fun Sleepover for an 8th grader at a local public school district. What are your thoughts on all of this?" "I don't know, but Golden Corral has really good bagels for breakfast," Mrs. Shay admitted. "Hopefully, the sleeping bags are in a circle, so the girls are well-distanced from each other," Carly told me. "You definitely shouldn't be spreading gossip about this virus," Mr. Benson added. "That's it!" I furiously exclaimed. "I'm calling Alex to see what is going on!" I quickly got out my cell phone and called Alex. Alex didn't sound too happy when she picked up the phone. "Alex, are we still going to go shopping at the mall today?" I asked in a frantic tone of voice. Alex sadly stated that she didn't know if she was able to because of the coronavirus, but she would try to rally and show up at the mall. Later that day, I met some more of my best friends, Alex, Justin, and Max at Monroeville Mall. Alex had tears in her eyes. "I am just worried about how this will affect our Sunday outings going forward!" Alex cried. "I really don't want to get infected with the virus, but I don't want to have to cancel our outings, either!" We all gave each other a group hug. "Why don't we go look at a few stores and then we will discuss all of this later?" I suggested. Unfortunately, Hallmark was closed, but we ended up looking around at Party City and Go! Games, Toys, and Calendars. "This is almost as tragic as the blizzard of 2010 when I was in high school," Alex glumly explained. "I found nothing to do. I hope that is not the case here!" "Well, maybe if this worries you so much, Alex, then I suggest that we look up the places you would like to go in the coming weeks and see if they are open," I encouraged Alex. We then ate dinner at the food court. We all went to Flamer's for dinner. Max and I both got hot dogs and French fries, while Alex got chicken tenders with French fries and Justin got a cheeseburger with French fries. "I am especially shocked about what Carly and her parents said about the virus and the upcoming Fashion Fun Sleepover sponsored by Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties at the end of this month," I explained. "What did they say?" Alex asked. "Mrs. Shay was just talking about the bagels for breakfast," I told Justin. "So what if there are really good bagels?" Justin asked, laughing. "I think that this coronavirus is a lot more important!" "Max, would you ever start gossip about this virus?" I asked. "Well, maybe, I would, but..." Max stated. "Max!" Alex angrily yelled. "Stay with me! Now, what did Carly say?" "She wished that the sleeping bags were set up in a circle to promote social distancing," I explained. "Good for her!" Alex shouted. "Calm down, Alex," I told her. "We are going to see what is open and what is not open in the coming weeks. You can always text Sarah what is going on since she and her stepbrothers will be joining us on our outings in the coming weeks." "Yes, I do plan to get in contact with Sarah," Alex told me. "I plan to get in contact with all of my best friends to see how we are going to be able to avoid catching coronavirus and still do all of our planned outings." After we looked at what was open and what was closed in the coming weeks, Alex, Justin, and Max drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Alex replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"