Dearest Rachel –
I’ve probably mentioned the proverb in one paraphrase or another several times over the course the last five or six years, honey, but it’s constantly being proven true; there’s nothing the Lord finds funnier than a plan we humans can come up with. The most obvious examples are those elaborate, Pinky-and-the-Brain style schemes that come collapsing down from the sheer number of moving parts that we’re unable to keep track of – or even be aware of – but even one’s bog-standard, run-of-the-mill style plans for a day can find themselves breaking down in several ways at any given time.
Today was one of those days when we found ourselves dealing with the latter.
First, the plan. It so happens that we’re finally getting businesses built up in that old shell of a place that used to hold the Sam’s Club that existed around the turn of the millennium (I’d say it was there for the early years of our marriage, but even with my poor memory, I remember Algonquin Mills and the Wauccama Pottery that anchored it from before, particularly since many of our kitchen goods we still have came from your bridal registry there. That, and the Circus World within the mall that served as something of a daycare for Daniel in his first few years now and then). It’s not exactly meant to compete with Mitsuwa down Algonquin, but it’s decidedly Asian-based; between that, and the fact that the place is finally being used again, the three of us were keen to check it out.
This weekend, according to what we could scrape from online, was supposed to be its grand opening. So we made plans to head out there.
But not first thing in the morning, as the place had already posted hours online stating their open hours to start at eleven. So on my way home from the men’s Bible study, I grabbed the usual smoothie for Daniel, thinking that we would hang out for a half-hour or so before heading out. But upon arriving home, I was surprised to not see his car in the driveway; this was the first thing to not be going according to my expectations.
As it happened, he and Logan had already headed out, thinking that there might be a line waiting to get in, like there occasionally are at a grand opening. Particularly if there were to be goodies handed out to the first customers, the boys wanted to be in on that. You would understand, especially from those days when we would spend Black Friday outside Half Price Books back in the day.
Now, there happens to be a brunch-type place a few steps away from here, so we thought we might wait for the place to open by getting breakfast there. However, since I’d brought Daniel’s smoothie with me, we couldn’t technically go in, as there was a sign by the front door prohibiting outside food and drink (which, to be fair, is a reasonable request under the circumstances, although he’s always taken issue with the fact that some places have a problem even with his water bottle that he wears like an accessory). Technically, we actually did walk in with it, and no one stopped us, but it did feel odd to do so with such a large drink in his hand. Besides, thanks to it, he wasn’t nearly as hungry as Logan (who’d suggested the place) was.
While we waited for him to finish it, we encountered a large group of broccoli-haired young men pouring into the place, some of them wearing women’s dresses – which, these days, barely raises eyebrows anymore in certain quarters. As it happened, this was apparently a company ‘celebration’ of meeting a sales quota at a local insurance business; the team that lost the competition were required to attend wearing the dresses as a humiliation ritual. How very transphobic of them ^_~
Still, this puts paid to the old claim that insurance is boring. Then again, that’s an accusation that’s been leveled against my profession, too, and I wouldn’t want to try to prove otherwise by enduring that.
But between Daniel still having to finish his smoothie, the fact that this squad of insurance salesman were filling up the place, and the supposed opening hour was approaching, we decided that it wasn’t worth getting breakfast at this sit-down location, so instead, we would just circle the main building while he finished his drink. We probably wouldn’t have long to wait, once we’d gone around the place (and the Walmart that was attached to it).
While we did that, we encountered a… well, let’s just call her ‘unhoused’… seated in front of what used to be the Sam’s Club main entrance. She was surrounded by a number of bags that would have given her the name that we knew her ilk by in the bad old, politically incorrect days of yore. At least she wasn’t actually asking for spare change – at least not as far as I could make out, although I really don’t know what she was actually trying to say. Considering where she was ensconced, I wondered if she might be auditioning for the part of the store’s mascot – although at present, that entrance wasn’t being used as once (yet) – and how the story could chibify her in order to make that possible.
After all, she’s an uncommon sight in the area – although, to be fair, not entirely unheard of, at the same time.
Upon completing the circuit, we encountered a young woman at the doors of the place. Assuming she was a fellow customer, we called out to her. However, on engaging her in conversation, we discovered that she had some kind of connection with the store itself. Moreover, she informed us that the place was not, in fact, having its grand opening this weekend, but rather next weekend… “maybe.” She added that banners and other signage would show up shortly to indicate it, which we admitted seemed to be lacking this morning.
So that was the end of those plans for the day – at least, for such free time as I had between commitments at church. And as Daniel was still full from his smoothie, we decided to take a walk to the opposite end of the parking lot, to the ‘point’ of the triangle, to at least visit somewhere we’d never been before for our troubles.
Still, even though our plans completely fell through, we got ourselves an adventure (or misadventure, if you want to look at it that way) out of it; and honestly, that’s all you can ask from an hour or two of walking around a parking lot, even one of this size.
