By now, Dad had bought all the groceries.
This was impressive, considering he had also bought forty pounds of onions, one shampoo he didn’t understand, and several items he definitely didn’t remember picking up.
He stood near the checkout, bags stacked around him, scanning the store anxiously.
“Max?” he called.
No answer.
There were people everywhere—carts rattling, children running, announcements echoing overhead. Finding one kid in that crowd felt impossible.
Dad rubbed his temples.
Meanwhile, Max was on a mission of his own.
He was trying to find a way out.
Every aisle looked the same. Every sign felt misleading. He turned a corner too fast and slammed straight into a random man.
“Ohmygosh I’m so sorry—so sorry—very sorry—my fault—so sorry—” Max blurted, apologizing at least nineteen times before sprinting away.
The man blinked. “I was just standing here.”
Dad decided Max must be on the second floor.
So he headed for the stairs.
At the top, he turned—and immediately crashed into a shelf of books.
BAM.
Books rained down around him.
A nearby woman gasped. “Sir!”
Dad picked up a fallen book and nodded politely. “Just browsing.”
Elsewhere, Max had wandered into the clothing section.
He slowed down, relieved by the quiet.
Then he passed a mannequin.
The mannequin took a step forward.
Max froze.
He blinked.
“Okay,” he whispered. “I’ve officially lost it.”
The mannequin stepped again.
Then it ran.
Max screamed and bolted down the aisle, heart pounding.
A kid burst out laughing. “Got you!”
The mannequin wobbled, revealing it was being pushed on wheels.
Max didn’t stop running.
He shot up the stairs, crashed into an employee, yelled “SORRY!” and spun around—running straight into someone solid.
THUMP.
Max looked up slowly.
Dad looked down.
They stared at each other in silence.
Dad finally spoke. “Found you.”
Max exhaled in pure relief. “We can go home now, right?”
Dad nodded. “Groceries are done.”
Max slumped. “Thank goodness.”
🌀 What Just Happened?
- Dad finished shopping… but bought random items he didn’t even remember picking.
- Max got completely lost and turned the store into a confusing maze.
- Max ran into strangers nonstop while apologizing like his life depended on it.
- Dad crashed into a bookshelf and pretended it was normal.
- Max got chased by a “moving” mannequin before finally crashing into Dad.
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