Shopping Trip
"Excuse me, sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the store."
Bonnie almost laughed at the sheep clerk, thinking it a joke. But then she saw her son-in-law close down like Judy had always described, half-lidded eyes and smile like armor as he put back the carton of blueberries he'd been examining and backed up from his cart with both paws visible. Then the fleeting amusement turned to sadness, guilt for her parents and their old corner store (“We don’t want your kind here, fox!), an inkling of her daughter’s daily outrage. "Hold right there, Nick. You have every right to shop here too."
"Mrs. H, no, it's fine. I'll just wait in the car."
“Ma’am,” said the clerk, clearly caught off-guard by her, “There’s really no need to make a fuss over a fox.”
Bonnie squared her shoulders and stood to her full height. “You’re right. Zootopia’s a big place. I’m sure we can shop somewhere better.”
Bonnie grabbed Nick's arm and started for the little store's exit, grocery-filled cart abandoned in the middle of the aisle. Nick’s utter awe and adoration as he hurried to keep up made her feel like a million dollars.