Drove to Safeway for some groceries, found the place to be packed with a ton of people.

I went to the refrigerated dairy section, looking for some cheese when I encounter a mother with three kids. The mother picks up the imitation cheese and puts it into her basket. "Mom, why can't we have this cheese? It tastes better," the oldest, possibly 10 years old, says. "No, we can't afford it," the mother replies.

I grab my pepper jack cheese and move on to the soda isle when the mother and her brood come down the isle a minute later. She grabs the very cheap diet cola and strawberry cola 2-liter bottles. "Mom, why can't we have this pop? It tastes better," the oldest asks. "Shut up, we can't afford it. You're embarrassing me," the mother angerly replies.

I quickly grab my Diet Coke and head to another section of the store. A few minutes later, I'm looking for lunch meat when, yes, the mother and her brood arrive. The mother picks up some lunch meat when the oldest asks, "Mom, is that the salami that Dad sticks up your butt?" pointing to the stick salami just above his head.

Silence.

The mother, shell-shocked, looks at me. I avoid eye contact as my lower lip is quivering from surpressed laughter. The iron taste of blood is filling my mouth as I bit into my tongue when I heard the comment. I high-tailed it out of there as the other two children, both under the age of five, were laughing hysterically at the mention of "butt" in public. The 10-year-old shows no emotion, delivering the most dead-panned expression I've heard in years.

I wonder what happened after that...

Rob