Black Friday was yesterday. Sales galore, stores opening up at midnight or earlier, crowds that want that special present at bargain basement prices... Then you read the news and hear about the use of pepper spray, both to calm a crowd and to blind a group so someone could get an xbox. Or you read about the people who get trampled when the crowd rushes to get inside exactly when the doors open. Or you read about the shootings, inside stores and out in parking lots. Or, or, or, or... So many stories that show the negatives of being so focused on getting something for less than the normal price. Instead of that, I'm going to focus on a Black Friday story that brings back some laughter for me.
In 1987, I'd gotten out of prison and hadn't replaced my license yet so my dad had to drive me to and from work. He said he didn't mind because it got him out of the house for an hour or so twice a day. Being retired wasn't all that it's cracked up to be for some. While he loved being able to read or sleep, he didn't appreciate being there for mom to be able to ask him for help. In any case, we used the time to talk about everything under the sun and I'm forever grateful for that time because it helped me get both to know my dad better and to get closer to him.
So, in 1987, I was working at GE through Manpower temps. One of the programs that Manpower offered was training on various software, to help you build or improve your skills. But since I worked 5 days a week during their open hours, I couldn't take advantage of that training. However, I found out that they were going to be open on Black Friday and I set up the time to do some training. Dad didn't mind so away we went, early that morning.
I flew through 3 different packages. It was all computerized for you to work at your own pace and I guess I kinda went faster than they thought I should. By 11, I was done for the day. Called my dad and he came to pick me up. "Hey, kiddo. How about we head to the mall and see what's on sale?" I thought he was kidding and pointed out that it was Black Friday but he wasn't kidding and off to Mohawk Mall we went.
The mall parking lot was packed. I hadn't seen so many cars since we went to Disney World in FL during their first 6 months of being open. Being Dad, he drove up one lane, down the next and slid right into a first slot parking spot. I mean, he literally did just one lane, turned, and got to that first slot spot just as the other car was driving out. Into the mall we went, wandering together through some of the stores, going into Walden Books, watching the puppies at Ark Pets. Watching the spot where Santa would appear the next day was fun because they were still putting it together. We ate at Friendly's, grabbed an egg nog shake at McDonald's and left around 3. It was a magical day.
Now, we could have driven through the parking lot a dozen times and never found a spot, like I did the next year. Or we could have let the crowds push us out of the mall a lot earlier than when we left. But we didn't. We enjoyed our walk, we talked while we walked about what to get other members of the family, and we indulged in some old-fashioned people watching. When we got home, there was things to deal with but for that 3+ hours, it was just nothing but enjoyment.
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