The "Underwear" Door!!!!

Yesterday, Evie and I on our way home from church stopped at Sears at the Empire Mall. She wanted to get a baby gift for some friends who had just had a baby. When I asked Evie where she wanted to be dropped off, she responded with, "Oh the Underwear Door at Sears of course!

We both got laughing because it reminded us when Carrie was in middle school and would often head over to the Mall on a Saturday afternoon with one of her friends. We usually dropped her off at the west door at Sears and would also pick her up at the same location. At the time the underwear department was located just inside the west door so we started calling it the "Underwear Door"!

Well, one Saturday, she had met a good friend over there and we agreed to pick them up at 4:00 at the "Underwear Door"!! I still can't believe we would just drop Carrie off at the Mall. Not that we didn't trust her but what about weird people in society. My, has our world changed or what since those days! I would NEVER think about dropping off a middle school child off at the Mall without better supervision today!!!

Evie and I were both back at home and around 3:00 p.m. the phone rang. It was a call and the person on the other end said, "I have a 800 collect call to anyone from a Carrie Patterson.
Will you accept charges?" I immediately responded with, "Well certainly" But at the time wondered where was our daughter that she would be making a 1-800 collect call to her parents?

I immediately asked Carrie, "Honey, where are you?" She responded with, "Dad, we are done shopping and wondered if you could come over and pick us up earlier than was planned?" So I left for the Mall. On the way home I asked Carrie why she called collect. Back then middle school kids didn't have cell phones so because she and her friend had spent all of their money, they decided to call 1-800-Collect and give us a call!!!!!! I laughed for a week afterwards! I didn't reprimand Carrie as I thought it was a pretty good idea she had come up considering she was out of money!

So that door still continues to be the "Underwear Door" for her parents long after Carrie has moved on from her spending Saturdays at the Empire Mall!!!!!

Markus