Ahloom oil

All of a sudden I’m a huge hit with kids in shopping carts. I frequently get chatted up by those in the 4-7 age range. I’m not kid oriented, having never been around many and not having any of my own, so either they all think I’m a kindly old lady or they have enough cat in them to gravitate toward those who have no idea what to do with them. Over my lunch hour I went to Target. A kid was parked in a cart along the main aisle while his mom looked at jewelry. I didn’t notice them until the kid shouted a “hi” at me.

Brightly, I returned, “Hi!” I picked up my pace.

“I’m shopping with my mom!”

I paused and looked back. “Yeah? You must be a really good shopper.” His mom looked up and gave me a small smile, then went back to what she was looking at.

He nodded and I could tell in his little-kid mind “good shopper” was written in primary colored capital letters. “We’re going to the toys in a minute.”

“Toys?” I exaggerated the question. “That doesn’t sound like fun. You know where you should go instead?”

He looked as if he was processing the idea that toys didn’t sound like fun. “Where?” He shouted it, not quite like a challenge but close enough that I had to suppress a smile.

“The paper plate aisle.” I said it softly so other shoppers wouldn’t hear. His mom smiled but kept spinning the earring display.

“No!” he scoffed.

I shrugged. “OK. You’re the shopper. You know best. Have fun!” And with that I walked away.

I went to the back of the store to pick up an HDMI cable for my brother. His birthday is at the end of the week, and I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. I figure he can connect his laptop to the TV and watch all the crazy stuff he finds on YouTube on the larger screen. On my way back to the front of the store I passed the same kid, this time parked at the greeting cards. “Toys!” he shouted.

“Aluminum foil!” I countered, still walking.

I heard his mom tell him not to yell, and him ask her what “ahloom oil” is.

Kids can be kinda fun.