A newcomer walks into a store...

By Adam Coelho

Image credit: Michael Burrows on Pexels

 Once upon a time, many years ago, a man set out to procure supplies for his daughter’s school project. He picked up markers, glue, lots of colourful stickers.

But he couldn’t find a key item – KG cardboard.

And no one appeared to know just what KG cardboard was.

Look it up now and good old Google will inform you that it is “a thin stiff board made from paper pulp and used especially for making cartons”.

But this was before Google could come to the rescue. So the poor man tried to explain to befuddled store employees.

Thick paper. Thick, coloured paper. Thick, coloured paper, this big? Accompanied, as you can imagine, with much waving of arms. And feeling increasingly frustrated, not to mention outright silly.

When the poor chap finally thought to add that this was for a child’s school project, light dawned.

“Ohhh. You want Bristol board? Aisle 5!”

The much-relieved man took the supplies home to his daughter. Who overheard him recounting the story to his wife over a cup of well-earned tea.

“But dad,” interjected the little one. “You could have just asked for craft paper!”

The man now recounts the story in third-person, so as to not open himself up to any more smart remarks from his daughter who is now a mother herself.

                                                                               – Adam Coelho