On My Trip to New York, from New Jersey
Lessons from an outing with my mother.
Author’s note: This article was originally written on October 20, 2023. Happy Reading!
It’s Saturday night and my sister-friend and I just took my mum shopping at American Dream in New Jersey, USA. My mum had stopped by to see me in NYC after attending a work conference in Dallas, Texas. Before returning to Nigeria, she wanted to shop for a few things but I had other plans for her, hehe.
Growing up, my mum usually bought me perfumes. The first one I remember ever receiving from her is the Fantasy perfume by Britney Spears . No wonder I’m out here acting delulu half-the-time these days. When she also came to visit me earlier this year me in March, she came bearing the new Chanel Chance perfume, the Delicate fragrance. This time around, she mentioned not having enough time to make a stop at Duty free to get me a perfume. I was hoping for one.
Anyway at the store today in New Jersey, I took her with me like a woman who loves to be spent on by her man to the Sephora store on the 2nd floor and tried to choose between the new Burberry Goddess and the Jo Malone English Pear Freesia or Orange Blossom. As usual, she is irritated by my indecision but I make up my mind eventually.
I go for the Jo Malone perfume because I had perceived this particular fragrance on a random lady while on the stand-by line to see a show at the Comedy Cellar in NYC (fun-fact, I got to see the Andrew Schulz perform live!) While waiting on the queue, I ask about her perfume and simultaneously find out that she also works at Google but out of a city in Florida…and was just visiting New York City. She then disappears and I don’t see her again. Anyway, I have her to thank now.
After leaving Sephora, we then proceed to American Eagle to purchase a new pair of jeans for my mum, and I spot a few cargo pants and a big jean jacket. I’d like to try them on and so I do, for the culture. I only liked the fit of the jacket but I thought I might get it cheaper at the Primark Store on the third floor. Sadly, I don’t see any jackets at Primark and it’s 9:53pm, American Eagle should close in 7mins but I literally puppy-eyed my mum and sister-friend into going back down to the first floor to get this jacket.
We get to the store and I run in and later discover that my mum doesn’t come in with me. I ashamedly come back out to ask for her card to pay for this jacket. She is hesitant, questions why the jacket is that expensive, willing to pay because it will make me happy and ends up saying yes, and this right here is why I am writing this article.
Is it wrong to bill your rich mum? Even though she doesn’t consider herself rich? Why do I feel weird? I thought about paying from my card a hundred times but wasn’t also sure which might be more stressful, this feeling or trying to explain why I didn’t pay with her card anymore. A hundred times. A hundred questions. Did I willfully just force my mum into taking that bill because I knew she had the money to do so? Did I just want to be treated like a child again? Am I brokay?…or did I just take advantage of my mum?
I feel really weird tonight for some reason, and in Tolu fashion, I’m writing to aerate my thoughts. This is the kind of nonsense feeling my altruistic self usually gets me into. Self-awareness and altruism at its peak tonight. Not that I know this will help anyone but what use is a good pen or scribe without a paper to trust? To entrust one’s feelings too?
I eventually get the jacket and the Yoruba girl in me is kneeling in my head a thousand times and more for the money being spent because that was just NGN 80,000+ gone on a piece of clothing. Yet to be justified as worth it. But she seems content, not exactly happy but content with my own happiness and satisfaction. Sigh.
Anyhoo, I am happy that I got the jacket. I mean, look at it on me three days later:
Back to present time:
I was happy sad though; I got what I wanted but I wasn’t sure at what expense. I’m probably overthinking every friggin’ thing that happened within those 7–15mins. And this is yet another nonsense behaviour of mine — being an over thinker. Lord, be a fence around my thoughts. My ‘poor’ mum is now fast asleep as I finish typing this. That money is so gone with the wind, and I’m still here spiraling, LOL.
Between you and I though, it does feel so good to be spent on. When last did anyone spend up to $250 on me? Did anyone ever do that yet? Okay no, I think I remember. Or is all of this just me mourning my newfound single-hood or is this me appreciating the Mummy love I was shown tonight? Yes, when we she’s around, she shows me that sweet Mummy love — offers to cook for me, washes the dishes in my sink, doesn’t snoop around my things or my journals (this is more respect than love, haha), pulls the blanket over me whenever she wakes up before me…reminding me I’m still someone’s child. I know, adulting and living alone would make you wonder sometimes. I love you Mummy.
Well, after all that “debacle”, we head to Walgreens so my mum can pick up Vick’s VapoRub for my grandma and older aunties back home. My sister-friend and I also decided to get up to some fun while we waited for my mum to finish shopping .We went to Starbucks to try out this viral seasonal Starbucks order, and boyyyy did it give everything they said it would give (including the new tongues! haha). The order — Iced Chai Latte with Oat milk; 1 pump of brown sugar, 2 pumps of vanilla and pumpkin cream. Catch me drinking my Chai latte without these this Fall? Send me straight to coffee jail for such a misdemeanor. I would attach pictures or the video links to our video-ratings but what good a scribe am I if my words aren’t enough fuel to your imaginations?🤪…. okay okay, here you go.
I’m back in New York City now. It’s past my bedtime, and I’m about to hit the sheets. I wrote most of this story during the Uber ride back home. The Chai Latte might actually explain why I’m still up at 3:15am.
I’ll be escorting my mum to the airport in about 7 hours, and I hope I don’t try to pull some sh*t that overcompensates for how I’m feeling right now. “That woman got you that perfume and jacket because she loves you! Not because you asked”. I’d like to think. ‘No’ was an option too but she said ‘yes’. Take a chill pill, bro. Yes, I am shouting at my inner self. Okay, I’m dozing off now. Goodnight.
Till next time,
T
“What use is a good scribe (or writer) without paper to entrust their feelings to? “ ~ TEO
Thank you Medium.
