Perhaps on the eve of college, parents everywhere were all the same—despite being mentally prepared for something like this, Mrs. Reynolds's over-the-top behavior still exceeded Jay's expectations.
The night before, Mrs. Reynolds had dragged the whole family to the supermarket for a frenzied shopping spree. After Jay's token and futile attempts to refuse, Mrs. Reynolds had swept through the store like an unstoppable general with her two little followers, stuffing all kinds of snacks, daily necessities, and clothes into her shopping bags until every inch of those enormous cloth sacks had been squeezed dry and not even a finger could fit inside. Then Mrs. Reynolds would pull out the next bag she had prepared in advance.
Although Jay had Super Strength, a few stuffed shopping bags were not enough to make his muscles ache. Still, the amount his two arms could carry was limited. Before long, shopping bags of all sizes hung from his arms and shoulders. Too bad there was no mirror nearby, or Jay was sure he would have looked like a walking Christmas tree.
Since Mr. Reynolds had been dragged here too, naturally he had no easy way out. Though not as exaggerated as Jay, he started groaning nonstop after carrying just three bags, complaining that his back and waist were giving out. Mrs. Reynolds rolled her eyes at him and said that was proof he lacked exercise, and that walking with a load would be good for his old bones.
Jay gave Mr. Reynolds a sympathetic look, but there was nothing he could do. He would have gladly helped his dad carry more, but he truly had no room left on himself for another shopping bag.
After returning home, Mrs. Reynolds carefully sorted through everything. Seeing that seventy percent of it was stuff he figured he