[justprompts] Excessive
It had started out innocently enough. Grace needed a new jacket, because her old one finally went into its much-deserved retirement, and while she was at the store, she decided a new pair of boots would probably be a good idea, too. And not just a new pair of boots, but a new pair of pants that was free from mysterious stains acquired while out on jobs would probably be a good thing, and new pants wouldn’t take up much room, anyway, because she was just going to get rid of the old ones.
And when you buy new shoes, new pants, and a new jacket or three, the next logical step is to buy a new shirt or five, so you can coordinate everything. That one pair of jeans had a darker wash than the usual, so she wasn’t sure if anything she owned would work with it. Same with the lighter wash. And that cute brown jacket. And those amazing pink strappy sandals that would look really good with that black mini-skirt on that rack over there with the bright red sign that was proudly proclaiming “clearance!!!!” while sending Grace a telepathic message to “buy the skirt, Grace! It’s on clearance, and it would look amazing with those sandals and that shirt you just tried on!”
Before Grace knew it, she was starting to not be able to carry her shopping bags. They were starting to cut off the circulation in her hands and her fingers were going numb. And she definitely couldn’t reach for her phone when it started ringing. She was ready for it when it rang the second time, though, having found a bench to set everything down on, and she was wiggling her fingers, trying to get some feeling back in them when she answered the phone. “Hi, Dad.”
“You’ve been shopping for four hours, Grace.” Uh-oh. That wasn’t his happy voice. “I thought you said you were going out for a jacket.”
“…well, I got a jacket.” She’d bought three jackets, actually. “But then I realized I needed other stuff, too. Like pants and boots.”
There was a groan on the other end of the line. John knew about his daughter’s torrid love affair with the shoe department in any store. “That’s it. I’m having your card cut off. And I want you back here right now.”
“But dad--!” Grace started whining more out of habit than out of having a valid argument. She was actually kind of glad when he cut her off.
“But nothing. You’re finished.” He hung up, and Grace weighed her options. She could either just not meet him back at the motel right away and go grab some lunch somewhere instead, or she could face the music.
She opted to face the music. She’d rather get it over sooner, rather than later. She gathered her things and went back to face John at the motel, and if she hadn’t been about to hear it from him, the look on his face when he saw just how much she had bought in the four hours she’d spent shopping would have been funny.
“There’s no way in hell you’re keeping all of that. What are you going to do with seven pairs of new shoes?” He inspected the strappy sandals. “Especially shoes like this?”
Grace chewed on her bottom lip and considered her answer. “Wear them?” She offered, meekly.
John just looked at her for a minute. “You already have way more shoes than you ever think about wearing.”
He had a point, and she knew it. “At least I always have backup shoes. And look! Boots!” She pointed at the heel-less, most practical (and boring) item she’d bought. If there was one thing he’d approve of, it was boots. But her distraction move hadn’t done much distracting, and John had moved on to asking her just why she had a need for a skirt that covered less of her than it showed, and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to be allowed to keep that, either.
But at least, with the skirt out of the way, she had no need for those sandals.
And when you buy new shoes, new pants, and a new jacket or three, the next logical step is to buy a new shirt or five, so you can coordinate everything. That one pair of jeans had a darker wash than the usual, so she wasn’t sure if anything she owned would work with it. Same with the lighter wash. And that cute brown jacket. And those amazing pink strappy sandals that would look really good with that black mini-skirt on that rack over there with the bright red sign that was proudly proclaiming “clearance!!!!” while sending Grace a telepathic message to “buy the skirt, Grace! It’s on clearance, and it would look amazing with those sandals and that shirt you just tried on!”
Before Grace knew it, she was starting to not be able to carry her shopping bags. They were starting to cut off the circulation in her hands and her fingers were going numb. And she definitely couldn’t reach for her phone when it started ringing. She was ready for it when it rang the second time, though, having found a bench to set everything down on, and she was wiggling her fingers, trying to get some feeling back in them when she answered the phone. “Hi, Dad.”
“You’ve been shopping for four hours, Grace.” Uh-oh. That wasn’t his happy voice. “I thought you said you were going out for a jacket.”
“…well, I got a jacket.” She’d bought three jackets, actually. “But then I realized I needed other stuff, too. Like pants and boots.”
There was a groan on the other end of the line. John knew about his daughter’s torrid love affair with the shoe department in any store. “That’s it. I’m having your card cut off. And I want you back here right now.”
“But dad--!” Grace started whining more out of habit than out of having a valid argument. She was actually kind of glad when he cut her off.
“But nothing. You’re finished.” He hung up, and Grace weighed her options. She could either just not meet him back at the motel right away and go grab some lunch somewhere instead, or she could face the music.
She opted to face the music. She’d rather get it over sooner, rather than later. She gathered her things and went back to face John at the motel, and if she hadn’t been about to hear it from him, the look on his face when he saw just how much she had bought in the four hours she’d spent shopping would have been funny.
“There’s no way in hell you’re keeping all of that. What are you going to do with seven pairs of new shoes?” He inspected the strappy sandals. “Especially shoes like this?”
Grace chewed on her bottom lip and considered her answer. “Wear them?” She offered, meekly.
John just looked at her for a minute. “You already have way more shoes than you ever think about wearing.”
He had a point, and she knew it. “At least I always have backup shoes. And look! Boots!” She pointed at the heel-less, most practical (and boring) item she’d bought. If there was one thing he’d approve of, it was boots. But her distraction move hadn’t done much distracting, and John had moved on to asking her just why she had a need for a skirt that covered less of her than it showed, and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to be allowed to keep that, either.
But at least, with the skirt out of the way, she had no need for those sandals.