A couple of weeks ago Ruth and I stopped in at the local Sam’s Club to pick up a dozen cases of assorted must haves. We bought a boatload of toilet paper, half a hog, a double jar of 1,000 count ibuprofen, a ten pound tube of ground round, a value pack of a dozen tubes of toothpaste, a triple pack of gallon size orange juice, and a giant jar of assorted nuts so Ruth can make Chex Mix for the holidays. If the economy blows up we’ll have shiny clean teeth and pampered booties.
After checking ourselves out with the scan gun they provided, we stopped for lunch. We ate in the snack bar. It’s been awhile since we’ve eaten there but we enjoyed the stop. I ordered two quarter pound all beef hotdogs with 42 ounce pop combos and a four berry vanilla parfait to share. I punched my order in the kiosk, inserted my debit card and paid a total bill of $4.69. I can’t eat at home for that. We pledged to stop in again for lunch sometime. Sometime was last Wednesday.
We learned from our last trip that two 42 ounce pops are two much to drink, so I ordered one hot dog combo and a single dog. Ruth wanted her “own sundae”, so I ordered two. Two turned out to be too much. Next time we go, and there will be a next time, we’ll go with one combo, a single dog, and a single sundae. I may go with two combos as the second drink ends of costing twenty cents, so we could cart it home and drink it throughout the week.
Prior to lunch, Ruth looked for some uniquely special short socks she likes while I picked up a second boatload of toilet paper for her sister, Kathy. On my way to the TP at the far end of the store, I ran into a series of sample stations in the food section. I picked up a small cup of assorted “unsalted” nuts and a wonderful shortbread chocolate cookie half dipped in chocolate frosting. I avoided the pizza station and yogurt samples. The chocolate cookie lady suggested I try the pretzels, imported crackers, and cheese whiz in the next isle, but I didn’t want to spoil my lunch. So I didn’t.
As I was weaving my way through the food section samples, I flashed back to a similar experience from about fourteen years ago. I was taking care of two and a half year old Brady and went to Sam’s Club to look for a new printer. Brady was hungry so I headed to the food section to check out the sample offerings of the day. Jackpot!!! They had loads of easy eating items that he liked. We started with the cheese and crackers, took bites of summer sausage, sampled a new orange drink, pizza rolls, and followed that with second and third helpings of cheese and crackers.
After loading up my printer, I noted the food court, and zeroed in on the four berry vanilla parfait. We needed dessert. I purchased a sundae to share. He loved it.
When we got home, his mom asked about his day. The exchanged went something like this.
Lindsay: “Did you have a good time with TGO?”
Brady: “Yes.”
Lindsay: “Where’d you go?”
Brady: “Shopping.”
Lindsay: “Did you stop for lunch?”
Brady: “Yes.”
Lindsay: “What did you have?”
Brady: “Samels.”
Lindsay: “Samels?”
Brady: “Yes, samels.”
It’s funny how a single mispronounced word can impact your life. I remember that moment like it happened yesterday. If we would have had “samples” for lunch, instead of “samels”, it may have been lost forever, and Sam’s four berry vanilla parfait wouldn’t taste so sweet.