Shopping with my daughter at Polo Park Shopping Centre - Sunday, November 27, 2005
On
Sunday, November 27, 2005, I spent a wonderful afternoon out shopping and
going to the movies with my daughter. While making plans to get together
she suggested it would be a great afternoon that she could spend out shopping
with her "Aunt Sabrina" and perhaps go to see the new Harry Potter
movie!
Well of course I jumped at the chance and arranged to pick her up at the Blockbuster Video store where she works, at 3:00 PM, and made it there a few minutes ahead of time! This gave me a few minutes to walk around the store, checking out the new releases and of course check myself out in the full length mirror!!
Although I had been in the store before and have met some of her co-workers, who also of course know me as "Dad"!, my daughter introduced me to one of the clerks I hadn't met before. My daughter asked if we could stop by her place so she could "change" before going shopping so our first stop was her house.
All decked out in her plaid mini skirt, tights, boots and a black top she was ready wearing the perfect shopping outfit! Yes, a mini skirt! Our first stop was the Polo Park Shopping Centre where she had to stop at one store and have a forgotten tag removed from a housecoat she had purchased some time before.
So that we only had to park once, we found a parking space between the shopping centre and the Silver City Cinema and made our way through the parking lot to the mall. Being only a few weeks before Christmas the mall was very busy and there as us girls, strutting our stuff in our mini skirts and heels:-) So many people going about their own business. Yes of course we got glanced at, but not stared at. But who wouldn't glance, at two pretty girls in short skirts :-)
After
getting the tag removed we walked through the mall and browsed through
the Mariposa and Suzi Shier stores where my daughter searched for and
found a tank top that turned out to be a "Buy one get the 2nd at half price"
kinda of deal. So of course being a good shopper she bought both! We were
going to check out Garage Clothing but the line was too long and my daughter
felt we didn't have time to stop and make it to the movie on time. At another
store, which I can't remember the name, she stopped to try on a mid calf
length skirt (Wayyy toooo long for my tastes, even in winter). It fit her
like a glove, yet she exercised restraint and thought she'd keep looking.
Since it was getting close to the time we needed to be at the theatre we made our way through the mall and of course stopped at the "Angel Bear" statue for a few pictures before leaving and stopping at my van to leave my daughter's purchases.
We moved the van closer to the theatre and made our way inside the Silver City Cinema at Polo Park. It as quite busy inside and we had a moments wait at both the ticket booth and the concession. People all around and all a very comfortable experience. Except when it came time to PAY for the popcorn. That hurts. Especially when you know how much they pay for it!
Handing our tickets to the usher we made our way into the theatre and walked past the crowd, up the stairs and found two seats half way to the top. The theatre was about half full since Harry Potter had been out for a while by now. With a mix of adults, kids and families. Oh, and my daughter with her "Aunt Sabrina":-)
The previews started shortly after we got inside and for a few of them my daughter commented "I want to go see this one with DAD". I think that is really cool. That my daughter loves spending time with me as "Sabrina" and as her "Dad", and that she feels she can choose the occasions to do just that!
Then something amazing happened! The movie started and we still had some popcorn left!! I had gone to see the second Harry Potter movie with my daughter back in 2002 and have seen several other movies with her these past 4 years! And to think how worried I was all those years, about what people would think, keeping me inside, away from all this fun. I admit, I wasn't seriously looking for it, yet in all of my casual "looking around" I hadn't noticed anyone paying too much attention to me that would give me an impression they had read me or had a problem with me being either in the mall or in the theatre. Which just goes to show that everything we worry about is perhaps nothring to worry about at all. Just go out and have fun.
After the movie was over we cassualy walked through the theater to the exit and through the cool, no cold night air to my van. Since we both had to be up early I drove my daughter home and headed towards home myself. Another pleasant afternoon/evening came to an end...unitl next time!
Thanks for reading my story,
Sabrina
E-mail me at sabrina_markes@masquerade.ca
Member of the Winnipeg support group - "Masquerade"