There's nothing quite like a SaveWay SuperNexus. It's less of a grocery store and more of an open-air warehouse, piled high with pallets of goods and packed with throngs of bargain-conscious shoppers. You keep a close eye on the mop of teak-brown hair just visible through the crowds. The last thing you want to do is have to explain to your parents how you lost Megan at SaveWay on your very first shopping trip.
After a scary few moments in which you can't see her, you finally spot her red hoodie and raggy black jeans over by one of the end caps. Making like a bulldozer, you wrestle your cart through the crowds before she can take off again.
"Hey," you say, wheeling up next to her. "Stick with me, okay? The reception is crap in here."
She turns. "Oh, sorry. I was just looking at the Oreos."
It is an eye-catching display, a huge rainbow made out of Oreos packages in every hue, from the red Valentine's Oreos to those special violet ones they sold for Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee. The rainbow arcs over the aisle and plunges into a shelf of 'Arr! Pirate's Gold! Oreos'. It's kind of breathtaking, at least for a supermarket.
"Cool," you say.
"Can we get some?"
"Nah, they're not on the list." You tap your phone. "We need eggs, cereal, broccoli..."
"Oh, gross." She makes a face. "Why are we getting broccoli?"
"Lauren wanted some to cook with."
"How come Lauren gets to pick stuff to get and I don't?" Meg challenges.
"'Cause you know how she gets if she doesn't get her way. If we buy a lot of junk, she'll be bitching at us all week. Uh, I mean complaining."
"I know the word 'bitching'," Meg grins. Then she frowns again. "You're not gonna, like, turn into Mister Super Dad or something just 'cause you're technically in charge, are you?"
Your pale blue eyes meet her warm green ones. She's always hated being treated like a kid--maybe because you and Lauren were so close to the same age that Meg was usually the only one to get left out of things. It's bad enough she always got it from Mom and Dad, and okay, that was kind of their job, but you were always there to listen to her when she needed to vent about how unfair it was.
"Well, I am in charge..." you say slowly. "So I guess if I decide it's okay to get Oreos, it's okay to get Oreos, right?"
That wasn't quite how your parents had explained it, but in charge was in charge, right? Sometimes you had to make these judgement calls in the line of duty, after all.
"Thanks!" Meg grabs you in a bear hug, grinning up at you with a mouthful of braces. "I guess you're still cool after all!"
"Yeah, I still am. Go ahead and grab whatever you want."
She puts three packages of Oreos in the cart. You think of clarifying that you meant 'one package of whatever color you want', but you don't want to lose those cool points. Anyway, you've got Mom and Dad's spare credit card. You can't go nuts and buy a sports car or anything, but it's not like they're going to look too closely at a grocery store bill. Let her enjoy herself. In fact...
Why not take the opportunity to stock up on a few dozen more cool-big-brother points? After all, being in charge meant you might have to put your foot down on something major later on; it would go easier if you built up some cred now.
"Anything else you want while we're here?"
Her eyes light up with the possibilities.
------------------
Okay, you think, as you struggle with the trunk, maybe we went a little overboard...
The car is absolutely crammed with junk food; just about every inch that isn't reserved for you and Megan's butts is piled high with chips, soda, cake, cookies, frozen waffles, pizza, and popcorn chicken, pie, and candy. In fact, it's so overloaded that you can't get the trunk closed.
"It just won't shut," you say. "That bag of chips is in the way. I could push it down, but they'd get smashed."
"I have a better idea," Meg says with a crafty smile. She picks up the bag, rips it open, and stuffs a handful of chips in her mouth. "Mmph. I'll juff make a liffle room. That'll work, right? An' I thinf those cookies are stickin' up a liffle bit too..."
"Eat enough of that stuff and I won't be able to fit you in the car, kiddo," you say. "So, you think I did okay on my first shopping trip as Dad Jr.?"
"Yeah!" Meg says, spitting a few crumbs. "You did... mmph... awesome!"
"Glad you're happy, 'cause Lauren is gonna kill us."
"Whatever." Meg rolls her eyes. "She can stick with her broccoli. Nobody's gonna make her eat this stuff."
"You know she will, though."
"Yeah, I know. Hee."
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