¶ … grandmother grabbed me by the wrist harder than she ever had before and said, "Come on!" wanted to remain in the car. I stubbornly looked straight ahead, pretending not to care. Finally I turned my head to the right and looked up at my grandma, who I loved very much. Slowly I turned my legs and one by one dropped them out of the car and onto the pavement. Grandma hurriedly shut the door behind me and looked me straight in the eyes. Hers were sad and gray and full of emotions I had never seen there before.
You're a big boy now," she began slowly. "It's time you learned your first grown-up lesson."
She held up a plastic radio with big knobs and dials and colorful buttons. I loved the toy so much that I snatched it off the shelf in the store and when my mom said no, that she wouldn't buy it from me, I didn't listen. Secretly keeping the radio with me, no one noticed that I walked out of the store with it and took it home.
You stole this!" my grandma said firmly. "Do you know what that means?"
Yeah, I guess so," I said hesitantly.
It means you took something from someone else, without asking or giving anything in return. Stealing," she continued, "is wrong."
She handed me the radio. "Now I know you are a good boy, and I know you didn't mean to do anything wrong, right?" nodded.
So what I want you to do is take this back inside and apologize. You are going to make what adults call amends," she said with a smile. "You'll feel very grown up afterwards, and people will think you are a big boy." took the radio from her and she led me inside. We headed straight for the customer service department and there was no lineup.
My grandson has something to tell you," my grandmother introduced me.
Go ahead," said the woman behind the counter.
A held out the plastic radio.
A stole this," I said carefully and sheepishly, barely able to get the words out audibly. My grandmother urged me on with a nod of her head. "I'm sorry."
The woman took the toy and simply said, "Thank you young man!"
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