Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

My mother took her grand-mothering duties very seriously. She showered her grandkids with anything and everything they wanted. (A practice I often had to ‘discuss ‘with her. Can you say excessive?)

The boys were seriously into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when they were small. Whenever a new character was to be released you’d find my mother standing front and center at the door of Toys ‘R’ Us when they opened and she’d be the first one in the store.

She bought them every ninja turtle related product in there was.

That is, until she tried to find the ‘April’ character.

The toy company decided to make April in limited quantities so they’d be more collectible (so they said when my mother called corporate headquarters to complain about the scarcity.)

That being the case my mother thought there was only one course of action.

She found out what day the trucks made their deliveries to the store, how long it took the employees to unload and stock the shelves and made sure she was there at the appointed time.

But when she checked the shelves, still no April!

Undeterred, she found a young employee and began a pleasant conversation with him mentioning the fact that she couldn’t find two April characters for her grandsons.

She then slipped a twenty dollar bill into his hand and whispered, “Make it happen.”

He disappeared into the back of the store and soon returned with two small boxes tucked under his smock.

Grandmothers! Not above bribing store personnel for the love of their grandchildren!