Grumpy Old Grandparents Found To Be Lead Cause In Derailing Sales

(My stepfather is big on model trains, and he finds a specialized hobby shop. My mother and I go with him, and it’s a very quaint place, almost more like a personal exhibition than a shop at all. There’s an elderly couple behind the counter, and a girl — presumably their granddaughter — sitting in a corner crying. It’s a bit annoying, but it’s hardly going to ruin our day for a six-year-old to cry in the same room we’re in. However, it soon becomes clear that her grandparents are far less tolerant of her than we are, with her grandmother ignoring her completely and grandfather snapping at her.)

Girl: “I want my daddy!”

Grandfather: “Too bad!”

Girl: “I want to go home!”

Grandfather: “Good!”

(We’re all exchanging uneasy glances at this point, and my stepfather is hurriedly browsing items without actively inspecting them anymore. After another minute or so of crying, the phone rings, and the grandfather picks up.)

Grandfather: “Hello? She’s been crying all day! Half an hour? That’s fine.” *hangs up*

Girl: *sobbing* “Is daddy coming to get me?”

Grandfather: “Probably not.”

(We left without buying anything and never went back.)