wrentham (in M's words)

Get to the Wrentham Premium Outlets fifty-nine minutes before the mall closes.  

Race through Restoration Hardware and buy a small boudoir pillow for $14 to stuff into the $5 boudoir pillow sham I got yesterday  at the Matouk factory sale.  This is for the guest room no one uses.  It occurs to me I risked life and limb to drive to Matouk in a snowstorm to get something totally extraneous. 

Next stop in Wrentham is the Cosmetics Company Store.  Buy Estee Lauder’s Origins Plantscripton anti-aging serum for a hot price. This stuff really works (read about it) and my pulse quickens knowing I got a good deal.

Finally, with twenty minutes before the mall closes, we go into Off Fifth—Saks Fifth Avenue’s discount store.  I buy some ties for my guys.  Drastic reduction plus another 25% off at register.

Now, we’re down to five minutes before closing.   The store personnel are anxious to close.  Everyone wants to get home before tomorrow’s bigger storm. And then, I see it.

The sign sits atop a rack of designer dresses.  Did I read that correctly?  I look at the dresses and see a beautiful Calvin Klein knit dress in white with a black vertical stripe.  With a black lightweight sweater, this could actually make me look half my size.  I check the price $24.97! 

Now we’re down to four minutes before closing time.  My adrenalin is pumping.  I have to find two more dresses—in my size—that would look good on me—in two minutes (allowing for checkout time). 

Impossible.

“LYN!” I call.  “QUICK.  PICK OUT TWO DRESSES FOR YOURSELF”.

Lyn looks at me as if I am insane.   She quickly assesses the situation and determines this cannot happen in the allotted time. The store clerks are watching this madness. They assure me the sale will still be on for the rest of the week.  Knowing Wednesday will likely be a snow day, I resolve to come back Thursday.

I do.  And get one dress for me and five for my skinny sister-in-law. All for under $200.  Less than a set of full-price sheets at Matouk.