Maybe That Man Knows

Last night on the way home from Mimi's we stopped at the gas station and Elle wanted to get out and get a snack, which was ok since it was already almost 6 pm. Of course when I went to take her out of the car she didn't have her shoes on (because they come off as soon as her seat belt gets buckled.) I find one shoe and ask her where the other one is as I am crouched down with my head stuck under the front seat grasping in the dark for the missing shoe. I can only imagine what the view from the outside of the car looked like. As I am trying to squeeze myself out of the spot I am in, Elle says with total panic in her voice
"Where is my shoe Mom?
"I don't know Ellie (through my teeth because I can feel my face turning purple in frustration) You tell me where you KICKED IT OFF when you got in your seat at Mimi's!"
We search the car and I finally decide that she can just go in with one shoe on, what's the big deal, right? I mean she had a sock on the other foot.
I get her out of the car and I am lecturing her about the fact that most people do not take their shoes off as soon as they get in a car, as we walk into the store. A guy is walking up to the door at the same time as us and she says "Maybe that man knows where my shoe is." Hmmmm.
After a few minutes of slipping and sliding around the store with her one stocking foot, she got a bag of chips and some juice and we were on our way.
For the record, she did not learn her lesson because she kicked the single shoe off as soon as she got back in the car. And thankfully I found the missing shoe tucked way under the seat this morning.