Kevin and I headed right to the racks of boys' clothing once we entered the building while Lucinda and Jim went to the adult clothing section. I sighed as I watched their retreating backs. The bulk of the thrift store voucher was supposed to go to school clothes for Kevin and me since we had no winter wardrobe to speak of. I could see that I would have to stick to my guns if Kevin and I stood a chance of getting anything.
Thumbing rapidly through the racks, I pulled anything warm that looked to be Kevin’s size. I found four pairs of jeans that seemed to be in relatively good shape and sent him off to the dressing area to try them on. All but one pair fit him perfectly. The fourth pair was just slightly baggy, but I added it to our cart anyway, taking what we could get. I added a dozen long-sleeved shirts in an array of colors and patterns to the pile, not even bothering to have him try them on. Even if they were too big, they would have to work since the selection wasn’t all that great. The thought of buying used underclothing always gave me the creeps, but I found two pairs of long johns that were his size. Kevin tried to protest when he saw them, but I convinced him they were necessary.
“Okay, now you just need a heavier jacket than your hoodie,” I told him after outfitting him fairly well with warm clothes.
“Can I go to the toy section while you find one?” he pleaded.
“No, dopey, you’ll need to try it on. Come on, we’ll make it fast,” I promised him as I spied Lucinda’s overflowing buggy across the store.
We hit pay dirt with the coats immediately, finding him a snow jacket that looked practically brand-new.
“Sweet! And it’s blue,” he crowed happily as I zipped him up in it.
“Perfect,” I said, making him turn around so I could make sure the fit was right all the way around.
“Okay, now you can go look at the toys,” I told him. He scurried off before the words could leave my mouth.
Smiling, I turned back to the cart to mentally add up the contents. The jeans were pricier than I would have liked at six dollars a pop, but I knew they were a necessity. Thankfully, his shirts and pajamas were only two bucks apiece. His winter parka was the biggest bargain for ten bucks, taking his total up to sixty three dollars. With that number in mind, I headed over to the teen section for myself.
The selection of jeans in my size was decent, and I was surprised they were two bucks cheaper than Kevin’s. Long-sleeved shirts were another story, though. I could only find three that would work, and they were twice as expensive as Kevin’s. I couldn’t really make sense of the store’s pricing, but I guess it didn’t matter, it is what it is. Giving up on the shirts in frustration, I headed toward the jackets, hoping to find something nice. I found a pretty pink parka and several hooded sweatshirts that were super cheap. The hoodies gave me another idea to look at the selection of regular t-shirts. Finally I scored, finding a dozen shirts to wear under the hoodies, all bargain priced at only a dollar. I also threw a few pairs of long johns into the buggy for myself, including a set that was a pretty light pink and another in lavender. The one place I drew the line was getting a used bra, knowing I could make do for a while with the two I had. Adding up the total for my stuff with Kevin’s, I was relieved we were only at one hundred-twenty dollars. I was hopeful Lucinda would stick to her promise and let Kevin get a couple non-clothing items and maybe some books for myself. I pushed my cart to the back of the store where they stocked the books and happily lost track of time, thumbing through their selection. One good thing about thrift stores was that they always had a ton of books and at only a quarter a piece, I soon had a large stack on the floor beside me.
“Katelyn, where’s Kevin?” Lucinda asked, suddenly standing over me.
“Over by the toys, why?”
“I was gonna go find him some clothes,” she said, sounding motherly for once.
“Oh, I found some for him,” I said.
“Oh, thank goodness. I’m ready to leave this store. Did you find any books?”
“Yeah, I picked out twenty. Is that okay? It’ll only be five dollars.”
“That’s fine,” she said generously.
“Thanks Mom. My clothes and Kevin’s equal one-twenty, with my books, it’s one-twenty-five. I
know Kevin is looking for a backpack and maybe a toy,” I said, trying to give her a rough idea of the money situation.
“That’s fine. Mine can’t be much over that same amount. We’ll probably get a credit back.”
I skeptically eyed her buggy, finding her words hard to believe.
“We still need to get blankets and a few towels,” I added, wording it carefully so she wouldn’t get mad.
“Damn, that’s right. Let’s go see how much the leeches want for their linens,” she said, pushing her buggy toward the bedding section.
“Mom,” I chastised, looking around to make sure no one heard her.
“What?” she asked, starting to get aggravated.
“Nothing, it’s just, all of its free to us so…” I let my voice trail off.
“Yeah? But if we didn’t have the voucher they’d be sucking us dry. We could practically get this stuff new for the prices they’re charging.”
I sighed, but kept my mouth closed, not wanting to ruin her good mood.
Going through the rack together, we both found comforters we liked. I talked her into getting one with Star Wars on it for Kevin, even though she thought he was too old for it. I won the battle when I pointed out it was the cheapest one in the lot.