I have heard many people say that vacationing with family members can be challenging. I honestly have never felt that way. We generally take one vacation a year with extended family. On this particular trip to Myrtle Beach, David's parents and siblings were unable to go. So, we traveled to South Carolina with my brother, sister, parents, and grandmother. As I said earlier, I never really felt that vacationing with extended family was challenging...until the turtle. Like myself, my sister can be a tiny bit headstrong. When she gets an idea in her head, she rolls with it. Now, Myrtle Beach is great about making all of these little brochure books with incredible deals in them. Upon reading one such book, my sister comes across a coupon for a turtle for $6.99. My sister, Veronica, is a true animal lover. She has a cat, two horses, a dog, a snake, and various other little creatures that I never quite keep track of. She immediately latches onto the idea that she is getting a turtle.
So, we begin the hunt for the turtle. The coupon specifically gives four addresses of the Waves stores that will honor it. In the rain, we drive to the first location. This store worker tells us that we are at the wrong store and that we must drive further. They, however, have a deal where you can purchase a turtle and the cage for $15.99. Veronica insists that she wants the good deal that is found in the brochure. So, on we travel through the bumper to bumper traffic and the rain.
After turning left across traffic and finding a parking place, we reach store number two. Store number two says that they do not have the $6.99 turtles, even though they are one of the locations listed on the brochure. They have a turtle special where you get two turtles for $19.99 along with the cage. Veronica's face is quite red at this point as she huffs back to our car. The store there redirects us to yet another store farther down the road that is a Jaws store. We are told that they honor the coupon.
Here we go again.. through the rain and the traffic. At this point, I am silently thinking that I would be willing to just put money towards the cost of a turtle at the next location. We arrive at the Jaws location and wonder upon wonders they have the $6.99 turtles!! Veronica decides to get not one, but two of them. She then purchases the container to put them in. Turtles = $14, container = $8. That brings the total up to $22. She happily brings her turtles back to the car.
As I am thinking about the cost of her "$6.99" turtles, and thinking back over the other deals that would have equaled out cost-wise, not to mention the time, gas, and stress of driving through the rain & traffic, I can't help but shake my head as she shows me her turtles. I tell her that I am happy that she got her turtles and that I had no idea that she had wanted a turtle so badly. Veronica looks at me and says quite seriously, "Oh Tori, I have three other turtles at home."
