I was absolutely ecstatic. It had been a while (and when I mean a while, I mean two and a half weeks or so) since we’d last been to Target. Mom wanted to go there to get a birthday present for my little sister Katelyn’s friend Luna’s birthday party. I was just excited to go My Little Pony hunting because the new Explore Equestria toys were supposed to be out, and the Wave 3 Friendship Games dolls as well.
    We were on the car ride there, and I was humming along to a fast-paced anime song, which made me even more pumped up and positive. I’m gonna find what I want! I thought, confident in myself. But then, a tempting fate struck me. But what if they don’t have them…?
    I brushed it off as jitters.
    We arrived there. Mom and Katelyn stepped out of the car, and I jumped out and made a sprint to the store.
    Soon enough, I arrived at the toy section and began to browse. I was immediately slammed on the head with disappointment, because there was absolutely nothing new.
They had all the same dolls and figurines as last time. My face crumpled, and tears began to fill my eyes. I realize now that I should have went in there with a negative mind, because the tempting fate was true. I shouldn’t have let the downfall hit me so bad, I cried internally.
    Following that, I marched over to Mom and complained to her.
    “There’s nothing,” I whined, my voice shrill enough to break glass.
    Mom sneered. “What did I tell you? Michigan’s always the last to get everything.”
    I continued to browse a bit, but then I got bored quickly, because the only toys I really cared about were the ponies, and that’s it. I thought there would have maybe been some Funko Pops or something, but I didn’t see any. I look back now with amusement, as Target has never really carried any Funko-related items.
    And that’s when I left the toys section, and headed to the clothes. I really need a new flannel, I convinced myself. Four ain’t enough.
    When I went to the juniors section, I blindly began to look for flannels. I found a few by the clearance rack, calling my name in a teasing tone.
    Whew. Thirty bucks. Mom can get this for me, right? I thought.
“It’s cute. Of course she will!” I squealed. A big ol’ grin formed on my face.
    I looked around some more, and came across a Red Hot Chili Peppers tank top. It was awesome! It was grey, with neon-colored palm trees and the band name with the subtitle ‘Californiacation’ on it. I need it, I thought. Mom will so get this for me!
    That’s what I thought. So naive, and not to mention desperate. Looking back, they were too pricy (well, at least the flannel). More importantly, I didn’t need them. I was just too greedy, needy, and wanting to burn the nonexistent money in my wallet.
    I grabbed both commodities of clothing, and that was when the panic settled in. It turned out that I wasn’t better off on my own, without my mom and sister. Also, it turned out that I did not bring my cell phone with me. It was because I thought that I didn’t need it, that there was no use for it. Our world as a whole has a tendency to overestimate ourselves, to think we don’t need what is actually essential to us. (It’s just a small store, after all! I had thought beforehand.)
    Boy, was I wrong. I did need my cell phone, even more than those stupid clothes. I did need it, especially since I got lost in a big store and I couldn’t find my mom, who was meanwhile getting incredibly impatient and running on a tight schedule.
    And that’s when I began to walk around, frantically. I must have retraced my steps three or four times, and by then I somehow wound up in the food aisle. (She said she had to look for something there, right?) That was when I wished that I had my stupid old purple cell phone with the Mayoi Hachikuji lock and home screen that used to be Mom’s with me.
    For a minute, I just stood there. But to me, it felt like hours. All of the emotions that were inside of me had a reached its peak, and I felt like I was going to scream. How could I have been so stupid? So… unknowing? No matter where I walked, I felt like a lost little girl. I was getting nowhere, and I knew that Mom was looking for me as well, the frustration inside of her ready to erupt.
    Alas, that was when my eyes fell upon a sample lady.
    “Hello there! Care to try So-and-So’s Salsa?” The woman looked very friendly.
    At that time I should have said “No, thank you!”, but instead I tried it. It wasn’t excruciatingly egregious.
“Um, have you seen seen my mom and little sister?” I asked her. I also described what they looked like.
    “Uh, I don’t think so,” the woman replied honestly. She then continued to talk to me about the dip. I was feeling even more anxious and antsy.
    But then, I heard it, coming from the woman’s store pager.
    “ … Megan O’Jibway?”
    Uh-oh. That was me. “Oh, shoot. That’s me!” I told the lady.
    No kidding, but I looked directly to my right and there they were, standing by the self-checkout center, looking rightfully ticked off. I walked over shakily, knowing what was about to ensue.
    Mom did not do anything surprising about this situation. She got close to me and whispered in my ear, “If you don’t want me to embarrass you in front of the whole store, then do as told and don’t run away.” When she said that, it sent a chill down my spine.
    “I’m so sorry! I’m so, so sorry!” I cried. “I promise I won’t do it ever again!”
    Mom glanced at the clothes in my hand, clasped tightly to my chest. “I’m not getting those for you,” she snipped firmly.
    Begrudgingly I put them back, and walked with my family out the doors and to the parking lot. And as I did, I realized that I learned a very valuable lesson that day: Never disrespect people with a higher authority than you. Even though it may seem tempting, like leaving your mom in the store to look at stupid clothes even though she told you not to, never do it.
    I’m sitting here in a soft computer chair right now, typing this story up. As I do, I can’t help but giggle at the naivety of myself from a half a year ago. Ever since that incident, I think I’ve been a bit more respectful towards my mom. I also know that wherever it is that I want to go, we’ll get there eventually.