Margie Creen

Most people would call ahead and find out if a desired product that was needed is in stock before trekking to Sioux Falls to purchase said object.

Most people would rather not waste a Sunday in pursuit of product. Most people would rather not burn precious fossil fuel on a useless quest.

I am not most people.

I woke up early Sunday morning. Early is 1:30. I knew that I had to get to Sioux Falls to buy a specific book and be back in Brookings by four in order to make it to work at five.

“Uh,” I grumbled to myself, burying my head underneath my quilt. “Don’t want to go to Sioux Falls. Want to sleep.”

I thought of the Taco Bell that exists in Sioux Falls. That was all the motivation I needed.

I rolled out of bed and put on a sweatshirt. No need to wear a bra under bulky clothes. Three minutes later, I was sitting behind the wheel of my car with a cigarette hanging off my lips as I drove south on the interstate. The cigarette tasted menthol, thanks to my friend, Oral-B.

I arrived at Taco Bell 48 minutes later. Next stop, Barnes and Noble.

I walked right up to the Customer Service desk with a grin on my face and a song in my heart as I asked for the book I needed.

No copies were in, the woman said curtly.

“Okay,” I thought. “To the Empire Mall!”

I made haste as I walked through the mall. Naturally, I parked as far from Walden Books as possible.

My grin wasn’t so bright and my song as cheery as the first go-round. I asked politely for my book. The clerk politely offered to order it for me.

“It’ll only take 10 days,” she said, smiling. I have a test over it on Wednesday.

This woman was a bit more helpful, though. She gave me the author’s name, which I precisely forgot upon leaving the store. Dammit.

Last Stop CD Shop was next. They, too, were lacking my book. By then, it was time to head back to Brookings, so I figured I would stop at Barnes and Noble one more time. Maybe the customer service woman was wrong.

She wasn’t.

I walked out of the store with two non-test material books and a $30 receipt in my hand.

“(Insert multiple expletives),” I thought, angrily.

I drove back to Brookings at 85 mph, went to work, got off early and went to the library. I found my book within 10 minutes.

When asked why I didn’t simply call ahead to Barnes and Noble, I offer some lame excuse about assuming they would have it. Really, I was thinking that if I had called, I wouldn’t have been able to eat at Taco Bell.

The moral of this story is, call before going. Unless, of course, an ulterior motive is to eat Gorditas. Then don’t.

Epilogue

I was going to end the article right there, but while I was digging underneath my bed I discovered I already owned the book. Oops.

Margie Creen is a junior journalism major and English minor.