I was at the store with my husband and our kid. Our vacuum cleaner had broken, so while my husband was picking one up, I was in another section asking a saleswoman about another model. She was super rude, staring at me from head to toe, and said, “This cleaner? It’s extremely costly, you can’t afford it…”

At that very moment, my 4-year-old son ran over to her, lifted her skirt up, and screamed, “Look, Mom, she’s got the same…”

The saleswoman’s face turned bright red as she yanked her skirt down. “How dare you!” she snapped.

I was mortified. “I’m so sorry, he was just joking!” I tried to explain, flustered and embarrassed.

But my son, oblivious to the social blunder, insisted, “I’m not. Mommy, look!! That’s why she’s so angry! She has the same socks as you!”

I looked down and saw that the saleswoman was indeed wearing the same bright pink socks with yellow ducks that I was wearing.

My husband, who had just arrived with a new vacuum cleaner in tow, burst into laughter. The tension broke, and I couldn’t help but laugh too, despite the awkwardness.

The saleswoman’s anger dissipated, and she even managed a small smile. “Kids, huh?” she said, shaking her head. “They have a way of pointing out the obvious.”

I nodded, still chuckling. “Yes, they do. Again, I’m really sorry about that.”

She waved it off. “It’s fine. Let me show you a different model. It’s a bit more affordable and just as efficient.”

We ended up buying the vacuum cleaner she recommended, and as we left the store, my husband and I exchanged amused glances. Our son skipped happily between us, completely unaware of the chaos he had just caused.

“Well,” my husband said, “at least we know how to break the ice in awkward situations now.”

I smiled, squeezing his hand. “Yes, and maybe we’ll start paying more attention to our socks before we head out next time.”