Do not place your food in contact with shopping carts
I discovered a young girl standing alone in the basket of a shopping cart grasping her leaky private parts while quietly repeating: “I couldn’t hold it.” Several things went through my mind:
- Major spill on aisle 12.
- Don’t touch the crime scene.
- That cart needs to be sterilized.
- Where is the parent?
In case it isn’t clear, a grown male found in the company of a stray girl of any race is problematic — even more so when she is grasping her private parts and arguably wetting herself from fear. (Blackish S03E04)
This was no place for me to be found, so I immediately backed up my cart. Figuring a parent couldn’t be far, I glanced down the next aisle and saw a lone adult male. I asked if his daughter was in the next aisle. With an expression that morphed between terror and affirmation, he replied, “Yes.” As he approached the aisle endcap, I just said, “She needs you,” and rolled away.
To satisfy my own curiosity, I peeked down the aisle after a few minutes to look for a puddle and tracks. The father was was slinging a mop. Still concerned about the cart and the girls wet legs, I told him there was a restroom in the corner. He expressed more concern over the puddle, so I just left him alone.
I am ashamed to admit that prior to this, I had been guilty of placing unwrapped produce directly in shopping carts. After this traumatic experience, I wipe down my carts with sanitizing wipes when provided, and insert all non-packaged items into bags from the produce section before placing into my basket. My wife also reminds me to rinse off cartons placed within the refrigerator.
You never know what’s been in that cart!