I never eat McDonald's...

From what age would you say you're old enough to start deciding what you eat, wear and do? I'd say about 11? Okay, well after seeing a mighty 2 fights in my town centre before the age of 11, I had told my mom on numerous occasions that, no, I was never EVER going to go to town on my own. Although that may seem ridiculous, I  remember each incident clearly.

It all started with the pool of "blood"

It was like any other Saturday morning (tbf I'm just guessing it was a Saturday) my mom and I were going to town to get some new school shoes (again, that's a guess), just as we're leaving the car park I see a pool of blood! (it was NOT blood) After trying her very best to console a 9 year old me, by telling me that it was just Coke, my mom took me to Claire's Accessories and bought me some clip on smiley face earrings in an attempt to take my mind off the whole traumatic incident! It clearly didn't work, as here I am, 9 years later, recalling this story to total strangers, reliving it as though it was yesterday.

(It probably was a Sunday actually, because parking's free on a Sunday, but whatever)

Millie and Claire

There I was, minding my own business, tucking into a white chocolate Millie's cookie after slurping down my mint choc chip milkshake, and my eyes, ears (all sense but taste really (that Millie's cookie was gooooood)) are drawn to the opening of Claire's Accessories. OMG get me out of here mother! Scratching, biting, hair pulling, punching, kicking, the works. Lord almighty I was scared! These two girls were having a full blown scrap in front of bloody Claire's Accessories. There were children crying, elderly people fleeing, adults tutting and most importantly crumbs falling... Getting so caught up in the palaver, I had failed to realise that my cookie was falling all over the floor! So not only had my innocent mind been overexposed to real life, down and dirty, violence, I'd also been robbed of half of my cookie! WHAT A DAY! 

Now if that's not a reason to never EVER go to town on your own, I don't know what is.

If I were a boy...

This time it wasn't just my mom and I, my dad and brother were in town with us too. We walked, clueless and innocent, into River Island that afternoon, carelessly browsing the rails of menswear, upstairs. After buying my dad a new wallet and my brother a belt we headed down the stairs, with the intention of leaving the shop. Haha not today O'Grady's, you can't get away that easily! It was as though fate was telling me to buy that pink stripey blouse my mom had been forcing me to try on (did I mention that I dressed like, looked like and resembled a boy until about the age of 15?)
WHAT A RUCKUS! There were about 6 young boys crowding around one other punching, kicking, head butting, biting, hair pul... you get the gist. They were basically just battering this poor kid! Being the over-sensitive, town centre-hating, child I was I genuinely shit myself (not genuinely ffs), we were trapped! I couldn't handle it, my impressionable little mind and delicate little eyes couldn't take anymore, I just headed up the stairs and started looking through the rails... nothing but a bit of retail therapy to cure PTSD :)

I digress... as usual. At the ripe old age of 11 I was ready to take the world head on, starting by facing my fear. First stop - Town Centre. With my cousin (who was also 11) by my side I stepped onto the number 3 bus, chatted as though I was fine for the whole of the journey and then froze. Right in the bus doorway, I froze, too scared to get off the bus! I got off eventually and saw no fights or signs of violence for the entirety of my trip, I was a changed girl (/boy). From then on I was going to town every weekend; shopping, going to restaurants, bowling, the cinema etc...

Not once, since that fateful day at the age of 11 until August 2015, did I choose to buy a McDonald's whilst in town (McFlurry's don't count okay), I had the freedom of what to eat, wear and do what I wanted and not once did I eat there. Everything about the place made me sick in fact! From the idea of it to the smell of the restaurant, I just couldn't hack it... It repulsed me. And I took pride in the fact that never, had I EVER chosen to eat McDonald's...

On Wednesday 16th September 2015 I started my part-time job

Haha, bit of a nonsense post but I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for reading guys and gals, speak again soon!

Love Rosie x