Vasquez Family

"Sorry if I ruin your day," I say to the customer service woman as I roll my cart up to the counter." She looks down at the endless cart of items I have to return and immediately gets on her radio for back up. She turns around and speaks quietly into the receiver, "I have a lady up here with a million returns, can I have all cashiers back up to their counters?" I hesitantly smile to myself, knowing she didn't think I had heard her.

My mother is the greatest woman I know. She is a talented decorator and can make any room look fabulous. On November 13th - the day I got engaged - my mother had a whole new world of decorating open up to her... my reception! Now mind you, she has hired a professional decorator, but there are just too many things a mother of the bride wants direct control over, and that includes centerpieces, the guest book table and the display of pictures and quilts. My mother is no exception. This brings my story back to the beginning. You know, the part where I'm at the Michael's Craft Store customer service counter with a T.J. Maxx cart I stole from the parking lot, because I had so many items I couldn't carry them all in in one load!

"Someone getting married?" asks a middle-age mom who's waiting in line behind me. She tries to balance her 16x20 mahogany photo frame in one hand while her 3 year old daughter pulls at her purse.

"Yeah, I am. The wedding's Friday."

"Oh wow! So soon!"

"I know, the days are sure getting shorter."

The line behind me doubles in size every time I glance back.

I spread out the 30+ receipts on the counter and the cashier and I take turns with each one, trying to locate each item on the mountain of receipts. Vases. Silk flowers we bought just to figure out what I wanted my bouquet to look like. River rocks. Aprons for the little server girls. Surprisingly, the cashier is very patient. She tells me, "Don't worry, it takes a lot to ruin my day. I think of this as a challenge."

I'm glad she feels this way. Now if only the 7 people behind me in line felt similar. I try to exchange sympathy glances with the antsy bright-red haired old lady  - you know the kind of look explaining how uncomfortable this is for you and if there was anything you could do about it, you would. I look over at the late-50's scrapbooker with her 30-something daughter and give them the "I'm-sorry-please-don't-jump-me-out-in-the-parking-lot-after-this" look.

I try to repeat in my mind, the words from my mother just before I left - "Julie, this will save me so much time! This is all I ask of you to help me with. I would just be so relieved!"

There's nothing better than a motherly motivation to keep you going.

Fifteen minutes and $144.56 later, I give a sigh of relief as I push the empty T.J. Maxx cart through the automatic doors and sign that spelled out "EXIT." That had to have been the best 4-letter word I'd seen in a long time.