The leaves on the trees slowly changed colors as August became September and summer became fall. School was back in session, and my brothers and I needed supplies like every school year. Ugh, another chore. Our usual shopping place, Target, sold quality school supplies at a discounted rate. Like all other middle-class parents, my mother couldn’t miss this savings opportunity.
The week before school started, my mom packed my brothers and me into the Honda mini-van with our school supply lists in hand. We parked as close to the entrance of the local Target as possible. Someone grabbed a shopping cart, and off we went, along with all the other back-to-schoolers, into the far corner of the store.
Pens, Pencils, Binders, Notebooks, and Backpacks were all on sale. My mom, from what I could tell, salivated upon seeing the sales discount. 20%, 30%, even 50% off! What a steal! We loaded the cart and methodically checked off the supplies from our lists. Veni, Vidi, Emi; We came, We saw, We bought.
As we walked closer to the checkout, I made a brief pit stop in the sports section of the store. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular—just killing time and testing how far I could push my mom’s patience. The sports aisle was an oasis of distraction: baseball bats lined neatly like soldiers, tennis rackets strung with precision, footballs sitting obediently on the shelf. And then I saw them.
At the far end of the aisle, gleaming under the fluorescent lights, sat a set of 15-pound weights. Without thinking, I picked them up and turned to face my family, their faces a mix of curiosity and angst.
A mischievous grin spread across my face. “Hey,” I said, holding the weights aloft like a victorious gladiator, “Is this shoplifting?”
Ba dum tss…
