Sunday mornings usually started with pancakes.But this time, if Travis wanted to make them, he needed ingredients first. And honestly, their fridge was looking pretty empty anyway. So after dragging himself home from his night shift, he scooped up his little princess and headed straight to the supermarket, hoping to grab some food and crash in bed before noon.

Marta, as always, claimed her spot in the shopping cart, flipping over cereal boxes and reading the ingredients out loud like she was deciphering some ancient scroll. Travis, meanwhile, was doing some quick math in his head—how much they could spend, what they absolutely needed, and how bad his wallet was going to suffer today.

The only silver lining? The small discount he got for being a good guy—or rather, for hauling heavy boxes in the back of the very store they were shopping in. Everything was going fine until Marta spotted something.

"Daddy, pleaaase, can we get this?" she pleaded, holding up a brightly colored toy from the impulse-buy section.

Travis sighed, already knowing where this was going. "Not today, sweetheart. We gotta focus on food, remember?"

"But it's so cool!" she insisted, her little fingers gripping the box tighter.

"Marta, I said no."

She pouted, crossing her arms with a dramatic huff. "You never let me get anything fun!"

Travis rubbed his eyes, exhaustion weighing down on him. "That’s not true, kiddo. But right now, we need to—"

Before he could finish, she did what every parent dreads. She bolted.

"Marta!" he called after her, but she was already halfway down the aisle, giggling as if this was some kind of game.

Cursing under his breath, Travis abandoned his cart and chased after her. Man turned a corner just in time to see her collide headfirst into someone. The impact sent her stumbling back, and Travis’s stomach dropped as he rushed over. He followed her gaze and felt a fresh wave of embarrassment wash over him.

"Uh—sorry about that," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "She’s... got a lot of energy."