I had 5 dollars and there were two ways to spend it. The first included walking across Independence Boulevard and going to Tinee Giant. My purchases would have likely included a slushie, some candy and Kiss cards. Kiss cards were like baseball cards except with the Kiss Members on the front of the card and facts on the band on the back.
The other option included walking to Pembroke Mall. My two favorite stores included Woolworths and Sears. Since I had so much money, I chose Pembroke Mall.
Woolworths had a little bit of everything and I remember rummaging through a bin of toys and afterwards I couldn’t find my 5 dollar bill. My 8 year old brain backtracked to all places I had been and it was gone.
Panic set in. 5 dollars was a lot back then. I could have bought a couple of KISS 45’s at Sears and still had some change leftover.
That was a long walk home. I didn’t want to face my mom. They had enough money problems without me making it worse.
Fortunately she was not home. Maybe between the stress of her finding out and the long walk home, I decided to take a nap on the couch. Sleep has this way of putting you in a different world to avoid reality even if temporary.
I woke up to simultaneous screaming and the splash of liquid on my face. My mother somehow found out about the lost money and just lost control. She flung a bowl of soup that had been sitting on the ledge of the couch onto my face.
This unmotherly act scared me. She had never reacted this way before. This volatility became the new normal.
Childhood lost 