A-Shopping We Will Go [Ingrid]

[Vicky Barnes]

“Aaah…” Vicky sighed as she stepped out of the car and stretched, “The great outdoors!”
Today, she was going to do absolutely nothing. She wasn’t going to do her homework, she wasn’t going to spend time on club activities or the swimming team.
No, today was her day off, and she couldn’t help but giggle like a little schoolgirl at the thought. She’d been so busy lately, this almost felt wrong… like she was being a total bad ass by skipping school.
Of course, that little fantasy wasn’t going to last for long, because it was kind of hard to skip school while having a teacher around. Then again, Ingrid was insane, and she wouldn’t be surprised at all if she invited her over for a school-skipping day full of adventure and mischief. Ah, how Vicky loved her grandmother.
“Hurry granilicious! We have much work to do!” she called over to the other side of the vehicle before grabbing her handbag and shutting the door. Today, Vicky and her gran were going Christmas Shopping! Vicky loved shopping, and Christmas shopping was even better, with all the pretty little light and decorations and stuff. She almost felt like a princess in a winter wonderland.

Glancing over at her grandmother, Vicky could barely keep a straight face as she began to dig in her bag for the map she’d printed out. A layout of the mall, with several locations circled with various colored pens. She couldn’t wait to see Ingrid’s face when she thought Vicky had even gone as far as to plan this trip out in detail. It was a joke, of course, but Ingrid didn’t know that! She loved messing with the woman.
After a soft, barely audible snicker, she made her way over to the small woman and looked at her with a perfectly straight face as she handed her the map.
“Well then Mrs. Barnes, here is our plan of attack. I have marked down locations of interest with red. You will also notice various other colors in combination with and/or aside from the red, though the reds are absolutely essential. Blue stands for clothing shops, green stands for jewelry, and yellow stands for potential toy stores of interest. I suggest we go in, follow the path I have set up here, and return before the parking meter runs out.” Still her face was perfectly stoic, though keeping it up was getting difficult.
“You know I do so adore efficiency, love.” She spoke, lacing her tone with a thick British accent just for added effect.

[Ingrid Barnes]

Ingrid got out of the car slower then the cheerful teenager. She smiled fondly at the girl's antics, stretching and grabbing her pocket book from the seat. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold up, not all of us are still under forty." She yelled back at Vicky's exuberant call. Ingrid was used to her granddaughter's special nicknames. It was hard not to, now that the girl was around so much.

A map? Ingrid couldn't suppress a gentle roll of her eyes. She took the paper and gave Vicky a flat look, reaching over and patting her head. "Sweetheart, you're as insane as the rest of this family. Completely off your rocker sometimes." She held the map out so she could squint at it, listening to the so called attack plan. "Fine we'll hit.. darn, I should have grabbed my glasses. What's the first place marked?"

Another grin appeared when Vicky put on that accent. "Effectiveness is a thing of beauty, but there's no need to add cheekiness to it." For her own effect, Ingrid leaned over a slightly pinched Vicky's cheek. She stood back straight and looked ahead at the mall. "I've got the shopping list in my purse, so shall we descend upon this place my dear?"

[Vicky Barnes]

"Sweetheart, you're as insane as the rest of this family. Completely off your rocker sometimes. Fine we'll hit.. darn, I should have grabbed my glasses. What's the first place marked?" Vicky crossed her arms in mock offense, pouting slightly as Ingrid called her insane. “Well, if I’m insane it’s because you’re a bad influence, woman.” Her pout faded almost as quickly as it appeared and was replaced with a broad grin, “The first place marked is the toy store.”
Ah, the toy store… once upon a time, it had been everyone’s favorite place to be. Now, she’d simply marked it for her cousins though. She doubted Daniel and Jessica would care much for a new pair of jeans or a new sweater, though they were getting to an age where toys wouldn’t be interesting any more as well.
That thought made Vicky frown ever so slightly. Even if she didn’t buy toys for herself anymore, she still enjoyed visiting the store to buy all sorts of fun things for her beloved cousins.

"Effectiveness is a thing of beauty, but there's no need to add cheekiness to it." Vicky blinked when Ingrid actually leaned forward and pinched her cheek?
“Ow, child abuse is illegal, psycho-gran,” She stuck her tongue out and rubbed her cheek playfully, “You and your grip-of-doom. Do you also do that to your ‘kids’?”
Truly, the amount of people Ingrid had already ‘adopted’ were shocking. You’d think after raising a bunch of them into adulthood already, and having a crazy granddaughter around would be enough, but apparently the woman had too much love and affection in her heart, and needed an outlet. Vicky thought it was kind of sweet, and she didn’t mind sharing her grandmother.

Everyone should have an Ingrid in their lives!

"I've got the shopping list in my purse, so shall we descend upon this place my dear?"
“Excellent idea, let’s go!” she held her arm out for Ingrid to take. A few years ago, she would’ve been embarrassed if someone she knew saw her walking arm in arm with one of her relatives – especially her grandmother, seeing as she was a teacher – but today, she was just happy to find the time to spend with her relatives at all.
She was older now, old and wise enough to understand loving your family wasn’t something to be embarrassed about.
“So let me guess, Dan wants some sort of video game, and Jess wants a Barbie doll? Or is she too old for that now?” she asked lightly as they begun their walk, “Oh! And should we start shopping for baby stuff too? Do they know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?” her face instantly lit up as she thought of her aunt Renee’s pregnancy. She loved kids, and now that Dan and Jess were about to hit puberty, she needed someone else who would enjoy getting coddled. Though she’d probably never be able to truly stop coddling the twins either, she loved them to bits.
“Maybe I’ll ask mom and dad to send some of my old stuff here, you know how spoiled I was as a kid.” Because she wasn’t spoiled right now, nope… not at all.
“I say we buy aunt Renee a really huge and awesome gift, seeing as she counts for two people now, right?”

[Ingrid Barnes]

Ingrid gave her grand kid a look of mock offense. "Me? A bad influence? Never." She laughed, breaking the teasing and getting down to business. "Alright, toys it is. With those two getting so old, they'll be out of the toy stage before we know it." She looked a bit wistful as she looked down at Vicky. "Why do you kids insist on growing up?"

Ingrid shook her head and powered forward. "It's not child abuse dear, it's my right as a old lady. And, I treat my, 'kids' as you say, just the same as my flesh and blood. So yes, I harass them too." It was such a joy and relief to Ingrid that her family didn't mind her habits. She wouldn't know what to do if her relatives became jealous or in any way against her 'other' family. Ingrid just couldn't help fixing herself a place in other people's lives. She enjoyed play mentor and mother to those around her.

"Yes. Ah, some game about zombies? I don't know about that boy. It sounds to violent for someone his age." She huffed in a way that clearly gave away her age. "And I think Jess was asking for a barbie with pink hair. Do they even make those?" For all her knowledge, Ingrid didn't keep up with things concerning kids. Video games still confused her with their very presence and she didn't quite get the strange trends the young folk followed. Hence, one of the biggest reasons she was delighted to do her shopping with Vicky.

"If they've found out, I've been left out of the loop." Ingrid said dryly, clinging to Vicky. She took out her glasses, putting them on with her free hand as she looked over her neatly written list. "I'd imagine they'd like the things you'd send, but I'm also sure they have plenty left over from the twins." Ingrid only smiled at Vicky's suggestion to buy Renee something special. The younger girl had a big heart, and it made Ingrid proud to be her grandmother. "I'll agree to that. She's been a bit under the weather recently, so we should do something nice to cheer her up."