Cash - Advanced?

Jogging (ok, strolling) out to my car after a lunch meeting, I fumbled in my purse for my keys, producing things like 30th birthday party necklaces, L's tamborine and stacks of receipts well past their prime. There's a reason they name candles after "the bottom of Mom's purse," I think to myself.

Making a snap decision on life-altering things such as Arby's vs. Jimmy John's, I swing into the JJ's parking lot and prepare to order my favorite - Slim 1 and a bag o' chips, topped off with a free soda a la work. Digging once again as if an excavation was occurring in my too-large summer handbag, I came up with nothing of value besides my iPhone. Just more and more trash that couldn't even qualify as someone else's trinkets. Sighing and groaning along with the moans of my stomach, I prepared to spill all the contents on a nearby booth, then remembered I had dropped my hot pink wallet into the diaper bag. And the diaper bag was at home. In the playroom. Of course. Just like it is when we have to make emergency runs to the doctor and we look like the irresponsible parents without fresh diapers.

Trying to strategically think of my next step to accomplish lunch, I pondered how I could get my hands on some cash with no license or ATM card. Striking out things like flashing the passing cars because really, I had nothing great to show and what if a colleague drove by, I remembered I had my checkbook tucked in the side pocket to pay my Mom back from the other day. Assuming JJ's didn't take checks, I began to ponder how else you could use these unique things that were once such a part of our rent-paying, tuition and books due lifestyle. Picking up the phone to verify, I try Mike first, because only his wife would call mid-day on such a bizarre question. When I got no answer, I turned to Mom.

"Mom - can you, like, drive to the bank and write them a check...to yourself...for cash?" I asked suspiciously.

After a few fits of laughter and perhaps some pauses of bewilderment that her daughter can even make it through a day let alone raise a small child, we determined yes, this practice was still in place.

Thank goodness because a JJ's ham and cheese had never tasted so good.