Cheap

[vaneramos]

Dad is settled at University Hospital. The surgeon cleaned the incision and said the infection was probably restricted to the outside, which is good news. Dad is surprisingly weak and sleeps a lot, but his colour and spirits are good. He will have to stay here until the incision heals, probably at least one week. I will spend more time with him tomorrow, then go home for a few days.

Dad had a wish list, so I went shopping this afternoon. Besides the University Hospital, which has an outstanding reputation, London, Ontario is a strange, drab city. After lunch at Mandarin, I ended up at White Oaks Mall. I have seen no other mall so clearly targetted at teenage girls. Besides Ardene there must be five or six competitors, same for Lush, along with entire rows of shops devoted to cosmetics, hair product or candy. The Bay had Levi's 501s for $45 so I bought a pair, black.

Three times in this life I have followed a friend into Walmart. For the first time today I entered intent on buying something myself. Dad wanted a cribbage board and I had failed to find one anywhere else.

The ceiling tiles everywhere were stained with grey water marks. The customers and staff looked like cows. I felt like a cow. When the most exciting place on Earth is a few aisles full of plastic toys bound to break within three weeks, life feels cheap. Walmart didn't have what I wanted, but I still felt tainted, like going home with the last drunk from the bar and not having sex because he passed out.

I overheard a woman mention Toys 'R' Us up the road, so I went there. Life there looked nearly worthless, too, but at least they had a cribbage board.