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When I was seven years old, I was given a small wallet to keep my pocket-money
in. It made me feel grown up and I carried it proudly in my hip pocket.
One day, during recess in school, I discovered that my wallet was missing. I
searched all my pockets but could not find it. There were a couple of
ringgit or so in the wallet and without it I
could not buy anything to eat.
I was close to tears. It was not so much because of losing my precious wallet
but because I might get a scolding from my parents. Anyhow I went hungry that
day.
After recess I was in no mood to study at
all. I kept thinking about how I lost my wallet and what my parents would do to
me. How was I going to explain the loss? I did not know whether someone had
pinched it from my pocket or it had merely fallen out. I prayed that someone
would find it and return it to me.
My prayers came to nought. Fortunately I
did not have to pay to get on my school bus. My fare was paid for monthly.
When I told my mother about my loss, she was clearly angry. I received a long
lecture about my carelessness. When my father came home, I received another
lecture. Also I was told that there would not be any more wallets for me until I
got older.
So for the rest of the year and two years following, I carried my
pocket-money (which became only a ringgit) in my pocket, without any wallet. I
am glad to say I never lost any money again. I had learned to be more careful.
It is not pleasant to lose something and then get scolded for losing it. |
