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A Bottle of Trouble
How something we bought at a Chinese goods store turned our morning into a silent film
It all started when our child needed a new water bottle to take to school. The old one had gotten scuffed, and on top of that, dirt kept getting stuck in the straw — dirt that couldn’t be washed out by any method known to humankind.
We decided to head to the supermarket near our house. Actually, the outing wasn’t entirely voluntary. An hour earlier, I’d put a kettle on the gas stove to make some tea. Then I’d completely forgotten about it. As a result, our apartment got a bit smoky, and the air took on a lingering smell of melted plastic.
I opened all the windows and decided it would do my son and me good to get some fresh air. And to pick up a bottle while we were at it.
So, off to the supermarket we went.
After making our way through the toy aisles, we finally found the bottles we’d been looking for. This time we chose ones without straws, so they’d be easy to wash.
My son picked out a bottle with a Paw Patrol design and, jumping up and down with joy, ran with it to the checkout. I, of course, followed him, not yet suspecting that within the next 24 hours this bottle would become the central character in a family drama.
