Last Minute Shopping

     Ralph clutched the bucket of Legos as though his life depended on it. It was the last jumbo Lego set in the department store and he had to race down an aisle to beat a middle-aged couple to it. Now he eyed everyone who came near him in the checkout line. It was a dire situation, and nobody could be trusted.

     “Wow, I’m surprised we had any of these left,” said the young cashier when she rang him up. “They’ve been very popular this year.”

     “No kidding,” said Ralph, swiping his credit card.

     She handed him his receipt. “Thank you, sir. You’re going to make some little boy very happy with this.”

     Ralph paused. “What do you mean?”

     She pointed at the large bucket on the counter. “The Legos. They’re going to make a great gift.”

     “Oh, right,” Ralph said. “Yes, the Legos are a gift… for a little boy. He’ll be very happy to get them—my little boy, that is—for Christmas. Because they’re his present. I mean, it’s not like they’re for me. It’s not like I’m using them to build a 14-foot-tall statue of Betty White. Why would I do that?”

     Without another word, Ralph grabbed the Legos and rushed out of the store.