Beginnings of 2020 - Daria - Mega Mall, Mega Problems

 Mega Mall, Mega Problems

Lawndale didn’t have everything. That was the issue that had vexed Quinn Morgendorffer over the past few weeks. Of course it had more things than Highland did (and she was thankful that her family had finally got out of that place.

 

“There’s that Mall of the Millennium,” her friend Jessie Brown suggested as they left the High School one Monday afternoon.

 

“I have heard of it,” Quinn admitted, “but isn’t it out of the State?”

 

“It’s only 100 miles away,” Jessie said.

 

“I suppose that isn’t too far,” Quinn decided. “I’ll see what my parents will say.”

 

“Good luck,” Jessie said. Quinn had told her what her mother was like.

 

 

It wasn’t just her mother Quinn had to think about. When she broached the subject at Dinner, it was her father who reacted to it first. “A hundred miles? To go to a mall? Dammit, there's a mall five minutes away!” he said, as he stood up.

 

“Sit down, dear,” her mother said. “We’re not going.”

 

“Oh!” he said.

 

Quinn tried another tack. “It’s not a mall. It’s a super mall! The Mall of the Millennium. Shop there forever!”

 

“Shop there forever? That doesn’t sound right,” her younger sister, Veronica interrupted.

 

“If you play that John Lennon song backwards, it says, ‘Imagine all the people, browsing in a mall.’ Isn't that weird?” Her older sister, Daria, said.

 

“It’s too far away, Quinn.” their mother said. “And you’ve done enough shopping for this quarter.”

 

“Mo-om! I need to know what’s out there.”

 

“No more malls until you bring up your grade point average!” her mother said.

 

“Exactly!” Her father said. “What’s wrong with her grade point average?”

 

Quinn sighed. Her grade point average was fine. It may not have been Daria’s 4.0, or Ronnie’s 3.6, but she was still doing well.

 

 

“So, they both said no?” Jessie asked.

 

“Yes! We may need to skip school later this week,” Quinn said quietly.

 

“DeMartino has one of his ‘surprise’ quizzes on Thursday. We could go then. I’ll call Josie and the other one and we can talk more tomorrow.”

 

“Sure,” Quinn decided.

 

 

The next Morning, Daria Morgendorffer met her friend Jennifer Burns on the way to School.