I don’t know her. I’ve never seen her before in my life.

English: The interior of the largest Whole Foods in the United States, located on Houston Street in the East Village of New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I took my three girls with me to the health food store, a place with generally more sophisticated clientele than your average grocer. I know. I know. Then what was I doing there? Well, they had great sales on produce.

Another thing about this store is the carts are very narrow to match their check-out lanes. If you deviate an inch out of your designated space while purchasing your groceries, you will inevitably bump into the customer next to you, who is likewise concentrating on checking-out without disturbing other shoppers’ personal space. It was within these tight confines that my oldest decided to give her baby sister her best and loudest demonstration of a dinosaur roar.

Customers and employees from at least two check-out lanes in either direction turned to gape. The lady next to us gave a look of horror and of “Good heavens! Where is that child’s mother?!” I looked down before I could observe any other such reactions. I contemplated making an easily over-heard statement such as, “Boy, I’ll be glad when this babysitting job is over!” but I was sure no one would buy it.

Has anybody had any similar experiences, or any good lines to cover your embarrassment?