i miss . . .

• the echoing bustle of the food court, wandering around looking for open seats, calling across the table to tell dad what order you want (it’s always teriyaki cabbage and rice).
• observing the other people — families, friends, lovers — as they dine. wondering how long your order will take.
• lifting your eyes in boredom to the huge TVs displaying some overdramatic perfume advertisement
• begging your mom to let you go to claire’s to buy a mood color-changing set of friendship necklaces, for your “friend’s birthday in 8 months,” promising you’ll give her the $20 from your piggy bank once you’re home (you never do, of course).
• magnetic lines along the floor as you exit a store, halting your shopping cart from continuing any further
• stopping at a subway situated in-between target and some fancy clothing shop — your sister gets steak, you get beef, like always; wondering what the difference is. sharing popcorn while telling silly stories about last weekend. this is quality time, dad says
• anxiously taking mom’s place in line while she runs off to check one more t-shirt, shoving the cart with all the strength your 7-year-old body can give, glancing back every 5 seconds to see if she’ll be back in time for the cashier (it’s a close call, but she always is.)
• browsing rainbow-colored notebooks and fancy lined planners (“2015 already!??”) in target, finding a necklace with “mom” in cursive & telling dad you’ll buy it for mother’s day. (“it’s in 2 weeks!” you proudly declare, as if you didn’t just check the planner calendar to remember)