Store Bought: Part 7

Belmont, Massachusetts was the magical land of stuff that I visited twice a month for the entirety of my childhood. It was the land of Chinese take-out, of Macy’s, of tickets to the Omni Theater, the planetarium, the movies, STOMP, Blue Man Group, the Museum of Fine Arts, and Boston Duck Tours. Everything could be done with the help of money in Boston – even parking. People paid to have their nails painted and their houses cleaned. They called taxis. They went to drive-thrus every day.

Belmont was where my grandparents lived and spoiled us rotten. One Christmas at their house, my brother burst into tears and announced, “I DON’T WANT TO OPEN ANY MORE PRESENTS!” It was Baba who funded my sticker collection and my connect-the dots-book collection and my jungle-themed stuffed animals collection. Judy would buy outfits for the three of us, and then, to our ungrateful dismay, pose us for pictures in the garden.

The Belmont house was fascinating to me. I would shift from room to room, holding cockle shells in my hand, admiring the china cabinet, running my fingers down the spines of books. There were four bathrooms, a baby grand piano, and bookshelves filled with CDs.

Besides my grandparents, the greater Boston area was also overflowing with aunts and uncles and great aunts and great uncles who would slip me ten dollar bills when they stopped by the Belmont house to visit. I would always save my money for weeks and then ultimately end up spending it on one of two things: Klutz art books from Barnes and Noble, or more art supplies at Michael’s Crafts.

Belmont became my other life. The one my friends didn’t know about or understand. The one that made me giddily impatient during the three-hour drive there. It was my glamorous life. The money fascinated me. I loved the shock of seeing the things people would pay money for in Boston. I don’t remember wanting to buy things with my own money while I was there. It was thrilling enough to watch other people shop and tip and order delivery. The lifestyle seemed foreign, but natural and lovable.