Chapter 7

Five Hundred Dollars

Club G was amazing. Hannie, Nancy and I tried to take it all in at once but it was really hard to. The store was decorated in Club G colors which are red, white, blue, gold and silver. We knew we had to start somewhere though and it had to be on the first floor. Mommy had already said so.

First we looked at the girl's clothing section. I saw the outfit that Pamela Harding already owns. The price tag said the sweatshirt cost forty five dollars and ninety nine cents. The hat cost nineteen dollars and ninety nine cents. I could afford the hat but I could not afford the sweatshirt. I could not afford the seventy five dollar jeans or the fifty dollar mini skirt either. There was a forty five dollar denim jacket which matched the jeans and skirt but I could not afford that.

"Hannie can I borrow money from you? I really want to buy a sweatshirt but I can not afford it." I decided to ask Hannie for money first since she has a richer daddy than Nancy does so she can afford to loan me money easier than Nancy.

"No Karen. If I loan you money I will not be able to buy anything for myself." Hannie sounded a little mad with me for asking but I did not understand why since she is my best friend and real friends would do anything for each other.

I stuck out my lower lip and turned to Nancy, "Nancy, can I--?"

Nancy interrupted me before I could even ask her for money, "Karen, that is unfair of you to even ask us so the answer is no."

I sighed but I was not going to let Nancy and Hannie's selfishness ruin my day at Club G. We headed to the area where school and art supplies were sold next. They even had pencil top erasers with the Club G logo on it. It was gigundoly cool but the erasers cost one dollar and fifty cents a piece which made Mommy angry since you can buy a pack of ten plain pink erasers for that price at the office supply store. Well that is because Mommy does not understand how cool Club G is.

We went through the accessory and souvenir areas next. I did not know how I was going to decide what to buy with my money. Mommy had still not said anything about spending extra on me on top of the money I had brought myself. I hoped she was saving that for a special surprise. I could see myself with a pair of Club G earrings and a matching necklace but it was forty dollars for the whole set. I could also see my bedrooms both covered in Club G posters from the souvenir department.

Next we checked out the furniture department. I could see my bedroom decorated in Club G sheets, Club G curtains, and a Club G television with a Club G sofa to watch it from. Hannie and Nancy had a mock pillow fight with a few Club G pillows. I was too busy checking prices to join in but it looked like fun.

The very best place in the store was the Beary Best Girlfriends section. There were so many bears and accessories. I wanted it all. I hugged a box with a bear in it to my chest.

"Mommy?" I looked around for my mommy. She was looking at a twenty five dollar bear outfit and shaking her head in disbelief at the price tag.

Mommy turned to look at me, "Yes, Karen?"

"Will you buy me a bear?" I boldly asked her. She had to say yes though. I am her only daughter and I really deserved a bear.

Mommy did not say yes or no. She said, "How much does the bear cost, Karen?"

"One hundred dollars for a custom bear and seventy five dollars for a Beary Best Friend story bear." I chewed my lower lip and tried to look cute and sad.

Mommy sighed, "Karen, I told you before we came that you would have to earn your own money and buy the things you wanted at Club G. It is not Christmas or your birthday and you have not behaved very well lately. You have been very mean to Andrew and disrespectful to me and other adults. I also do not think you have been a very good friend to Hannie and Nancy. You have not done anything to earn a gift at all and there is no special occasion. I am not going to buy you anything today except for lunch. If you want something extra today you will use your own money to buy it."

I was very mad and reached up to slap Mommy. She grabbed my hand before I could and marched me right over to the toddler playroom. I did not understand what she was doing.

"My daughter really needs a break. Can she stay here in the toddler center or go into the boy's playroom? I will come and get her in a little while." Mommy led me up to the person at the counter.

"Of course she can stay here," said the counter person for the baby room. "If she gets bored we are connected to the boy room through that door. We have a Playstation."

Mommy turned to Hannie, Nancy and their mommies, "All right ladies we will visit the rest of the store including the arts and crafts and the movie theater then we will come back and get Karen for lunch."

I was mortified. How dare Mommy treat me like a baby! I scowled as I watched them walk away from me. I watched the toddlers dejectedly from a plastic Club G chair for awhile. The stupid babies seemed just like Emily Michelle. By that I mean they did not own brains and were drooly and smelly.

An ugly meanie mo baby came and threw a block at me as I was stewing in my anger. That is when I decided I would have to make a break for it. I could not stay in this baby jail any longer.

I took my chance when the person running the baby jail turned around to rummage through a baby's diaper bag. The baby was poopy. I snuck out the gate and decided that I needed to get revenge on Mommy. I was going to buy everything in the store and charge it. I do not really know what charge means but sometimes Daddy takes me somewhere and he tells the store people to charge it.

I ran around like a maniac filling a Club G shopping basket with everything I wanted. I stuck in a bear, clothes for me, jewelry, make up, and accessories for me and the bear. Then I marched myself up to the cash register.

The cashier did not say anything to me as she rang up my items. I felt very proud of myself for breaking out of the baby jail and getting what I deserved. That would show Mommy who was boss.

"Five hundred dollars and sixty one cents is your total." The cashier announced.

I smiled at her with my prettiest grin. "Charge it!"

She looked at the lady in line behind me expectantly. "Credit card and ID ma'am."

The woman behind me looked confused, "She is not my daughter."

The cashier gave me a mean look, "Little girl where is your mommy?"

I pretended to look confused, "Uh I do not know."

The cashier took my hand and pulled me inside the register. There was a stool inside and she had me sit on it. "What is your mommy's name?"

I was caught. "Lisa Engle." I said this in a tiny whisper hoping the cashier would not hear me but she did. She called Mommy's name over the loud speaker and asked her to come to register two. All I could do was sit down on the stool and wait.