The grocery store doors slid open with a cheerful ding, as if welcoming them into a place of peace and organization.
That was a lie.
Dad marched in first, gripping the shopping cart like a man on a mission. “All right,” he announced confidently, “stick close.”
Max blinked. “I didn’t even agree to be here.”
Dad took three steps forward, turned a corner—and vanished.
Max stopped walking. He looked left. He looked right.
“…Dad?”
No response.
Max sighed. “Of course.”
While Dad was already disappearing into the depths of the store, Max wandered in, hands in his pockets, scanning the aisles. He wasn’t watching where he was going. That was a mistake.
SMACK.
He walked straight into someone.
“Oof!”
A grocery store employee staggered backward, nearly dropping a stack of neatly folded bags.
“Oh—sorry!” Max said quickly. “I was kidnapped by my father and abandoned.”
The employee blinked. “Uh… aisle seven?”
Max nodded like that explained everything and shuffled away.
Meanwhile, Dad had somehow ended up in the shampoo aisle.
He stood in front of an entire wall of bottles—tall bottles, short bottles, shiny bottles, bottles promising volume, repair, hydration, confidence, and possibly a new life.
Dad scratched his head. “Why does shampoo need choices?”
He picked up one bottle. Read the label. Put it back. Picked up another.
“This one says extra smooth. Smooth what?” he muttered.
A woman nearby slowly backed her cart away.
After several minutes of deep thought, Dad grabbed a random bottle, nodded decisively, and tossed it into the cart.
“Done,” he said proudly. “Easy.”
On the other side of the store, Max had wandered into the perfume aisle.
This was unfortunate.
The air was thick with scents. Floral, spicy, sweet, aggressive. Max inhaled once and immediately regretted it.
His nose twitched.
“Oh no,” he whispered.
ACHOO!
The sneeze launched him forward. He stumbled, arms flailing, and slammed straight into a towering display of teddy bears.
The bears toppled like dominoes.
Stuffed animals rained down around him.
A nearby toddler clapped enthusiastically. “Again!”
Max sat up slowly, buried in fluff. “I am never emotionally recovering from this.”
Across the store, Dad was now arguing with a random employee.
“I’m telling you,” Dad said firmly, pointing at the cart, “this shampoo feels correct.”
The employee blinked. “Sir… that’s conditioner.”
Dad frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Dad crossed his arms. “Well then, why does it say ‘strong roots’?”
The employee took a deep breath—the kind employees take when they realize this conversation will never end.
Max peeked around the corner. He watched Dad gesturing wildly and sighed.
“Yep,” he muttered. “This is already worse than the stop sign.”
🌀 What Just Happened?
- The “peaceful” grocery store turned out to be a complete disaster from the start.
- Dad disappeared within seconds, leaving Max lost and confused.
- Max crashed into an employee and accidentally caused a teddy bear avalanche.
- Dad got stuck in a deep life crisis… trying to understand shampoo.
- The chapter ended with Dad arguing confidently—about buying the wrong thing.
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