Quick Bites

Married Shopaholic

Mary Jane prided herself on being a shopaholic. As a teenager, her favourite thing to do was to go to the nearby city mall and spend the entire day window shopping with her friends. The shiny lights of a shop, the familiar ka-ching of the cash register and stacks of wonderful clothes, shoes and all sorts of trinkets on the racks brought a lovely warm feeling in her. She would feel her knees go weak, her cheeks flush pink with happiness and her heartbeat race whenever she was in close proximity to any shop. Later on, when Mary Jane began earning on her own, she continued her shopping at an alarming rate. If she saw something that she liked, she had to have it. Whatever may be the price.

Her apartment was filled with unique antique pieces, her closet overflowed with lots of colourful clothes and expensive handbags, she had an obsession with whatever was featured in fashion magazines.

All that changed after her marriage. Thomas F was not a wealthy man. He did earn a tidy sum of money as a clerk in the City Bank but life in the city was expensive and he did not entertain the fact that Mary Jane wanted to waste their hard earned cash on futile shopping escapades. You could say that he was an economist. He believed in saving money for the rainy days. Now with a baby on the way, Thomas F needed all the help that he could.

Furious fights and screaming quarrels ensued when he officially declared 'No Shopping' to Mary Jane. She had dramatically stomped out of the living room in frustration while he had calmly resorted back to checking his accounts.

Mary Jane spent many days, months, mourning the end of her shopping days. She envied her friends who visited malls and boasted about their incredible hauls. She did have few old shop catalogues to pacify herself. She would mark her favourite items in pencil, half hoping that she could purchase them but Thomas F was a hard headed man. He felt bad for his wife but he had to carry on with the opposition rule.

You can only imagine Mary Jane's ecstatic happiness when her close friend Elisabeth presented her with an all expense paid trip to the shopping mall on her iconic thirtieth birthday. It seemed like an oasis of crystal clear cool water in the midst of the red sandy terrains of a desert. This gift was a beacon of light and excitement in her otherwise dull world. Mary Jane could not wait.

As she stepped into the busy shopping mall again, Mary Jane instantly felt like she was at home. She took a deep breath inhaling the aroma of freshly grounded coffee which wafted in from the barista on the first floor, fragrance of the lovely cakes and pastries hit her nose from the little bakery right next to her. Her eyes swept past all the glittering shops and hoardes of enthusiastic people who tumbled in and out, carrying different shopping bags on their arms. She could almost hear the cries of an insolent little brat and the pleadings of his mommy as she refused to buy him the newest toy. Mary Jane smiled. It almost seemed magical.

"You may buy whatever you like, Mary, as long as it is less than a five hundred. Sorry, I probably should have told you that first." Elisabeth cleared her throat. Mary Jane did not care. Five hundred was more than enough for her.

"Shall we start from the shoe store ?" she asked and her friend nodded in reply.

The next six hours were a blur to Mary Jane. She walked into many shops, saw tons of lovely goodies - clothes, shoes, makeup products and tried them out. Her feet were starting to hurt but she carried on.

Finally, she trudged out of the mall empty handed. She handed the money back to her friend calmly. Then, she walked back to her little house.

Thomas was sitting at the dinner table, busy with the bank's accounts, when she entered cheerfully.

"I am back !" she exclaimed as she threw her handbag on the table and slumped down on the chair. Thomas looked up at her.

"Where are the shopping bags ?" he asked curiously. He could not believe his eyes.

"I did not buy anything." She answered.

He did a double take. This was not the Mary Jane he knew.

"What ? Why not ?" he asked incredously.

She leaned a little bit forward and looked behind her shoulder before whispering, "I learnt something today."

Thomas folded his hands and stared at her. He wanted to laugh at her dramatical antics. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Do enlighten me." He chuckled.

"I figured out that the feeling I was missing, the emotions that I love so much and my overwhelming desire to shop was because I wanted things. It was not because I needed them. Once the need is gone I have no wish to shop anymore." She replied.

Thomas looked at her quizzically. "Does that mean you don't have the want anymore ? Or have your fulfilled your needs ?"

"Both." With a sincere gaze in her eyes, she reached out and grasped his warm hands into hers. Her face broke out in am angelic smile.

"I don't want anything else because I already have everything I ever needed."

Now, that was truly magical.

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Mary Jane had a realisation, an accomplishment of sorts right in the middle of a hustling bustling shopping mall. Sometimes all we need is a catalyst to teach us what really matters in life.

Thanks for reading.