Susan’s Love & Secret Hoarding of Girl Scout Mint Cookies (Mar. 2007)

Susan's Thursday morning note March 8, 2007 
Susan's Love & Secret Hoarding of Girl Scout Mint Cookies 

Good morning!  Today is going to be the best weather in months!  How’s that for a reason to get out of bed?  This week I have come to the conclusion that there is such a thing as repressed memories, for some memories flooded our household on Monday evening that were scenes from my repressed past.  Picture the following:

1990.  Fayetteville, Arkansas.  A little girl at my classroom desk asking, “Mrs.  Williams, do you have your $3.00?” A huge smile on my face as I respond too loudly, “YES!” An exchange takes place.  I open a squeaky file drawer, put in my purchase above where any child can see.  Throughout the day I nonchalantly walk to the file cabinet, open the squeaky drawer, remove some contents from the purchase, then walk to a corner of my classroom where I won’t be noticed.  For some reason I’m not hungry for supper that evening.

1991-1999.  Various classrooms throughout Arkansas, Minnesota, and California.  Little girls at my classroom desk asking, “Mrs.  Williams, do you have your $3.00?” A huge smile spreading over my face as I once again respond with apparent delight, “YES!” The annual exchange takes place.  I open squeaky file drawers all over America.  But on this particular day of each year the file drawer is extremely busy…and I don’t seem to have an appetite at supper.

2000-2006.  Standing by my desk at the store the last six years.  Little girls walk in.  Same scene…  “Susan, do you have your $3.00?” A huge smile spreads over my face as I make sure Camden is looking the other way.  Financial transaction takes place.  I nonchalantly walk past this gnome of mine and place the purchase behind some bags.  Between customers the drawer in the store kitchen opens & shuts, opens & shuts.  I make sure I grab something book related if Camden is in the proximity.

2007.  This week.  Monday.  At home (herein lies the problem!).  Doorbell rings.  Little girl at the door.  Duplicate scene…  “Hi!  Do you have your $3.00?” A huge smile takes over my face as I make sure Camden and now his daddy aren’t paying attention.  Money changes hands.  Purchase now in my possession.  Hmmmmmm………how do I pretend this is unimportant to two males in the room?  I nonchalantly set the purchase on my bookshelf.  “Who was that?” Stu says.  “Oh, just Ashley – Jamie’s little girl.  I bought something for her fund raiser.” I walk to the kitchen grabbing my purchase on the way.  Into a cupboard it goes.  (To my defense Stu did know what came & rolled his eyes with a twinkle in his eyes!) Throughout the next four hours I nonchalantly walked into the kitchen.  That cabinet door just happened to open on it’s own.  Then the horrific scene – exposing 17 years of cover-up.  Stu walks into the kitchen and I hear a loud exclamatory remark, “SUSAN!  YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!!!” I pretended to not know what he was talking about, just put my head as high up in the sky as it would go and nonchalantly walked into the kitchen.  He stood there with an empty box of Girl Scout Mint Chocolate Cookies in his hand.  He stood there with two empty bags (okay, one had one cookie in the bottom that I’d saved for Camden) in his other hand.  “Susan, please tell me you didn’t eat all of these cookies in the last four hours!” Then we both just busted out laughing.  I was caught!

Did I forget to tell him that I ordered from two other girls also?  And that those deliveries will be made at the store?  I think I did forget that little bit of information!!!  (I just told the little gnome in his footed pj’s what I wrote in my e-mail.  He’s still angry – you should hear the tirade from his little chair just now that I was supposed to share.”

Okay!  Enough of that!  Wish I had some in my cabinet right now!!!  And for that little store I run a few blocks away (ha!) boxes arrived all week!  You’ll love the new books, you’ll love the new gifts, you’ll love it all!  It’s so fun to be here for you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for your business!!!  Have a fantastic weekend!  Susan