The 4-Year Old Store Lady


"If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like Sunbeams & you will always look lovely"
(Roald Dahl's, "The Truth".)

My now 8-year old granddaughter recently accompanied me on a book signing held in a children's school library. While waiting between groups coming in and out, we went on an adventure-pulling some books off shelves and checking them out. Being an avid reader, my granddaughter took time to read a few. Problem was there were so many books and so little time as well as shelves full of plush animal puppets. She loves plush animals. Especially puppies. And of course, there was a plush puppy puppet-a rather large one. So soft. So huggable.

Later that night, and I don't know why-maybe because I'd watched her earlier when surrounded by books; her imagination on overload, that I found myself thinking about the above quote that I've always loved written by British novelist Roald Dahl. And as I thought about the quote a photo of her came to mind which I've included in this post.

She was four years old. The photo was taken on a Saturday night sleepover. She was pretending to be, "Melanie Store Lady", and I was her customer. The only problem with that was every time I went to buy something in "Melanie's Store", the item was not for sale. Each time the store lady told me, with her hands on her hips:
"Actually Gra-Gra. That isn't for sale." (Gra-Gra is what she calls me).
Then she'd show me something that really was for sale and most always it was the same item I'd bought before. And when I went to pay the Store Lady in her store window with her Dora cash register in action and the item I was buying wrapped in either a dish towel or small blanket, the charge for any item I was buying was "Forty." Each time she told me the price was "Forty" in her Store Lady voice I had to turn away for fear of laughing or crying or picking up that Store Lady and hugging her and you just don't do that to determined four- year-old Store Ladies.

That "Store Lady" hasn't been to visit in quite awhile. Oh Melanie has but not "Melanie Store Lady." She is growing up and her interests are changing. But that imagination of hers is still on overload just like it should be.

And to this day, every time I hear or see the word "Forty" the memory of that Store Lady warms my heart.

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