Unexpected Windfall Pays For A Shopping Trip

About a year ago I loaned an acquaintance some funds to start a small business. Shortly after that my own finances took a hit from the collapse of the economy leaving me cash-strapped for several months. On the other hand, my friend did well with his new venture and recently repaid the loan with a nice return on my investment. With this unexpected cash on hand my wife and I decided to take a trip to improve our spirits.

For me any travel must have some predefined purpose but for my wife travel is its own reward. I decided the purpose of this excursion was to make my wife happy - always a noble purpose well worth the effort. As is always the case, I let the wife choose the destination (within reason of course) which this time was the downtown area of a nearby large city. She was searching for just the right shade of brown boots to complement some outfit she was putting together.

I actually had mixed emotions for the trip after I was told where we were going. I faced the certain prospect of spending a day lugging an increasing load of bags from store to store. When faced with similar situations in the past, I occupied myself by observing hunter-gatherer behavior instincts in action in a modern context.

I also enjoy a particular male version of sight-seeing. I always enjoy a glimpse of a shapely thigh below a short skirt or a quick flash of tanned cleavage over a low-cut top. The female form offers many opportunities for appreciation. Whether with my wife or not, I limit this activity to the accidental peek, not the overt stare.

This trip, I did not expect much sightseeing. A cold January day keeps short skirts in closets. My wife was expecting shops full of slashed prices and a full day of bargain hunting. In lieu of sightseeing I decided to look in a couple music stores for the dreadnought acoustic guitar I had been dreaming of. I really did not expect to find a nice, cheap one.

The trip turned out to be successful on a couple levels. My wife found the boots she wanted and at a rock-bottom price. In a crafts store she bought two packs of assorted scrapbooking papers that I really thought she could have found back home.

I did actually find a couple of guitars I liked but I could not bring myself to spend more on a shopping trip than my wife. I used the excuse that the cold, damp weather would not be good for the wood on the trip home.

The guitar money bought a very nice meal in a quietly romantic restaurant. In my mind this was justification for the trip and an efficiently friendly waitress is at least as nice as a couple quick glimpses of nice scenery.