Sale Madness

D 1o I really have to go?” I whinged, hoping this would get me out of accompanying my sister on yet another shopping spree. It was the third one this week and I had enough of the jostling and queuing to last me a lifetime. “Of course you have to go!” declared my sister, “It’s the great Mothercare Baby Fair! How can you not want to go? Do you know how many bargains there will be?” She looked at me incredulously, as though I was absolutely insane for considering something as unfathomable as missing this remarkable event. I put on my shoes in resignation and dutifully followed her out the door.

Using dialogue is a good way to begin a narrative or personal recount.

While too much of dialogue makes a text appear like a script, a certain amount aids the reader in understanding the sentiments of the various characters.

The store was supposed to open at 11am. It was just after 10am when we parked the car and I was cheered by the thought that we had heaps of time to grab a muchneeded coffee before battling the sale-crazed crowd. When I optimistically expressed this sentiment to my sister, she exclaimed, “Coffee? There’s no time for coffee! We have to get there NOW!” I could not understand the urgency and was just starting to reason with her when I caught sight of a queue. “Is the store close by?” I asked hesitantly. “I have no idea,” snapped my sister, “This is the first time I’ve been to this sale.” She was looking about purposefully for the store. “So this is probably the queue for the ferry right?” I asked hopefully since the store was in the same building as the ferry terminal for ferries going to Sentosa. My sister seemed not to have heard me, her eyes were focused on a man carrying a signboard which read, “2 hours from here.” What is going on? I thought to myself as I desperately tried to keep up with my sister who had charged ahead. As I hurried after her, I was beginning to worry as I started to see women with strollers and baby carriers in the queue. Then another man holding another sign appeared, “1 hour from here.” There was still no sight of the store. Surely this could not be the queue for the sale.

The writer uses interesting statements that give the readers an insight into the writer’s thought process.

Suddenly, a cheery teen popped up in front of me and said, “Here’s a catalogue for you!” I glanced down hastily at what she had thrust into my hand and saw that it was a catalogue for the Mothercare sale. I quickly grabbed hold of the cheery teen who had moved on to her next hapless target and asked her hopefully, “This isn’t the queue for the sale, is it?” She smiled sweetly at me and chirped, “Oh yes it is! Lots of great bargains today! Take a look at the catalogue!” She was rattling on about a 70% discount on some brand of stroller, but I was no longer listening to her. My sister was nowhere in sight! I quickened my pace and headed in what I hoped was the direction of the store. Another man holding another sign appeared, “30 minutes from here.” This was incredible; I had never seen a queue for a sale like this before.

The dialogue used in this text is rather humorous and it describes the relationship between the 2 sisters.

After walking another 20 metres, I finally caught sight of the store and there at the head of the queue was my sister in what appeared to be a heated discussion with another young teen guarding the entrance.

“How many people are you letting in at a time? Do you know how long the queue is? Why don’t you let more people in so we don’t have to wait so long?” my flustered sister bellowed.

“We c-c-can’t l-l-let too many people in for s-s-safety reasons…” the bewildered teen stammered nervously.

“Safety reasons, what do you think is going to happen? All the mums are going to stampede with their babies and strollers?!”

Goodness me, I had to stop her before she smacked the poor boy. As I tried to pull my sister away, a baby started wailing at the top of her lungs. Her mother was third in line at the entrance and the commotion my sister was creating had obviously agitated the poor baby. As the young mother desperately tried to calm her down, the baby wailed louder and louder. The other people in the queue started to stare and I could see that the helpless mother was torn between keeping her precious spot in the line and walking away to soothe her inconsolable baby. She bobbed about desperately from foot to foot hoping the motion would quieten her child, but her own distress was adding to the baby’s.

Although phrases such as “Goodness me” and “smacked” appear rather informal, it also tells readers that the writer was not too upset with her sister.

I stepped forward. “Sorry, we’ve upset your baby! Why don’t I hold your place in the queue while you find a quiet place to settle her?”

She smiled at me gratefully.

“She’s actually hungry as I’ve been in the queue for over 2 hours and she needs a feed,” she explained and quickly moved off to find a secluded corner to nurse her baby.

This seemed to bring my irrational sister back to her senses and she came to stand quietly by my side. “We are not queuing for 2 hours to get into this sale,” I said firmly to her. She did not offer any protest. The young mother returned 15 minutes later, her baby satiated and tranquil. She was now second in line and thanked us profusely for helping her keep her place. This time, my sister apologised for the scene she had caused and we were about to walk away when the young mother called us back. “Why don’t you come in with me?” she offered. My sister’s eyes lit up for a moment, but she graciously declined saying it would not be fair to the others who had been queuing for such a long time.

As we walked past the long line of people now snaking almost 800 metres away from the store, I shook my head in amazement. When we neared the car park, another man holding another sign appeared, “3 hours from here.”