Mrs. White parked her shopping cart in the produce department and turned to Justin.
"Wait here while I pick some vegetables for dinner," she said.
Justin sighed. He didn't like waiting, especially in the grocery store. Then he spotted the toy aisle. "I'll go look at the toys," he said to himself. "Then I'll come right back."


There on the shelf was a new book about trucks. Justin sat down and looked at it from cover to cover. Then Justin played with some toy dinosaurs. A little girl and her mother stopped to look at
the toys. Suddenly Justin realized that he had been gone a long time. He ran back to the produce department. His mother was gone!


Justin tried to be brave. "Mom wouldn't leave without me," he thought. "I will just have to find her."
Justin walked up and down the aisle after aisle. He checked the bakery and the meat counter. He searched the whole store. He couldn't find his mother anywhere.
"If only Mom had stayed where I left her," Justin said. A tear rolled down his cheek.
"Are you lost?" asked a friendly voice. Justin looked up and saw a woman smiling down at him.
Justin didn't know what to do. He wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but he was lost and needed help. He looked around again. His mother was nowhere in sight, but he did see a check-out stand. All at once he knew exactly what to do.


"I'm not lost," he said to the woman. He hurried to the check-out stand. The man behind the cash register was wearing a name tag. Justin stepped up to the counter.
"My name is Justin and I can't find my mother," he told the man.
"Wait right here," said the clerk. "I will tell her where you are." He spoke into a microphone.
"Will Justin's mother please come to check-out number one?"
The man's voice went all over the store.


Soon Justin saw his mother rushing toward him. He was so glad to see her that he didn't wiggle away when she kissed him right in front of everyone. Justin gave his mother a big hug. Then he looked her straight in the eye.
"Don't ever wander off like that again," he scolded.
His mother put her hands on her hips and looked Justin straight in the eye. She didn't say a word.


Justin swallowed hard. He knew his mother would say plenty when they got home.
But right now, he was just glad to see her.