This Apple Fell Very Far From The Tree

(A girl — maybe seven or eight — and her mom come up to my register with an apple.)

Me: “Hi!” *I ring up the apple and it comes up around $2* “Anything else for you today?”

Mom: “Yeah, five packs of [Brand] cigarettes.”

Me: “All right.” *grabs the cigarettes and her ID, rings them up* “Your total is [total].”

Mom: “Oh, I only have [less than total].”

(The total is only about $2 over what she has.)

Mom: *to girl* “Go put your apple back.” *to me* “Can you just take that off? That will do it.”

(She handed me her cash and her daughter put the apple back, looking very sad.)