Margie Creen
Most people would call ahead and find out if a desired product that was needed is in stock before trekking to Sioux Falls to purchase said object.
Most people would rather not waste a Sunday in pursuit of product. Most people would rather not burn precious fossil fuel on a useless quest.
I am not most people.
I woke up early Sunday morning. Early is 1:30. I knew that I had to get to Sioux Falls to buy a specific book and be back in Brookings by four in order to make it to work at five.
“Uh,” I grumbled to myself, burying my head underneath my quilt. “Don’t want to go to Sioux Falls. Want to sleep.”
I thought of the Taco Bell that exists in Sioux Falls. That was all the motivation I needed.
I rolled out of bed and put on a sweatshirt. No need to wear a bra under bulky clothes. Three minutes later, I was sitting behind the wheel of my car with a cigarette hanging off my lips as I drove south on the interstate. The cigarette tasted menthol, thanks to my friend, Oral-B.
I arrived at Taco Bell 48 minutes later. Next stop, Barnes and Noble.
I walked right up to the Customer Service desk with a grin on my face and a song in my heart as I asked for the book I needed.
No copies were in, the woman said curtly.
“Okay,” I thought. “To the Empire Mall!”
I made haste as I walked through the mall. Naturally, I parked as far from Walden Books as possible.
My grin wasn’t so bright and my song as cheery as the first go-round. I asked politely for my book. The clerk politely offered to order it for me.
“It’ll only take 10 days,” she said, smiling. I have a test over it on Wednesday.
This woman was a bit more helpful, though. She gave me the author’s name, which I precisely forgot upon leaving the store. Dammit.
Last Stop CD Shop was next. They, too, were lacking my book. By then, it was time to head back to Brookings, so I figured I would stop at Barnes and Noble one more time. Maybe the customer service woman was wrong.
She wasn’t.
I walked out of the store with two non-test material books and a $30 receipt in my hand.
“(Insert multiple expletives),” I thought, angrily.
I drove back to Brookings at 85 mph, went to work, got off early and went to the library. I found my book within 10 minutes.
When asked why I didn’t simply call ahead to Barnes and Noble, I offer some lame excuse about assuming they would have it. Really, I was thinking that if I had called, I wouldn’t have been able to eat at Taco Bell.
The moral of this story is, call before going. Unless, of course, an ulterior motive is to eat Gorditas. Then don’t.
Epilogue
I was going to end the article right there, but while I was digging underneath my bed I discovered I already owned the book. Oops.
Margie Creen is a junior journalism major and English minor.
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