“Jerry, I would be coming home later from work today. Could you help me shop for groceries?” asked Mother apologetically. “Sure, Mum!” Jerry assured her in a convincing tone. The young boy would turn thirteen the next day. Jerry was psyched to savour his mother’s fish head curry. Instinctively, he grabbed his mobile phone and went out the door in a jiffy.
As Jerry browsed through the seafood section, a strong fishy smell lingered in the air. An image of the completed fish dish soon popped up in his mind and the thought of the delicious only bolstered his greed. Jerry picked out three large fish heads and a box of curry powder among other ingredients because there was a sale.
Soon, he was done shopping and made a beeline for the cashier. As Jerry had a trolley full of items, the customers queuing behind him grew exasperated. Pangs of guilt made Jerry terribly uncomfortable.
When it was his turn, Jerry was relieved that the wait was over and introduced himself to the cashier with a perky smile.
“Your total will be $86,” the cashier informed him.
Jerry reached into his pocket for his wallet and realised that he had absent-mindedly forgotten to bring his wallet. He started to panic and looked at the cashier in horror. After a short moment of silence, he sighed in resignation and asked the cashier for suggestions. The cashier told him to call his parents to come by the store to make payment when she keep the items on one side for him. Jerry thanked the cashier for being accommodating and called his mother.
When he called through, he explained the predicament to his mother and asked her if she could go over to help him make the payment. She told him to wait for her as she needed to finish her work first.
Jerry anxiously waited until his weary-looking mother finally arrived. Jerry’s mother paid the cashier with a wry smile and turned over to Jerry. “What on earth did you get that cost so much? Young man, you have a lot of explaining to do,” Jerry’s mother exclaimed. Jerry knew he was in hot soup. He tried his best to placate his mother by suggesting that she could cut his allowance money to make up for the excessive spending. Surprisingly, his mother laughed and said, “We might as well have a grand feast since it’s your birthday.” Jerry was initially dumbfounded by the outcome. It was such a huge relief for him. He was able to celebrate his birthday with a clear conscience.
Jerry promised his mother to never give in to his impulses again and vowed to never be greedy again.
