I clenched my fists tightly and bit my quivering lips. The anger and frustration in me were strongly suppressed as I convinced myself not to lay a finger on him. “Your sister is a thief!” the proprietor spoke accusingly. I was confident that he must have made a mistake. We were poor, but would never resort to stealing.
“Sir, could you have made a mistake? Please give us a chance to clear up the air,” I pleaded humbly. Throughout the confrontation, my sister hung her head low and kept mum. I knew that I had to do anything and everything I could to protect her.
Shaking his head, the shopkeeper held up his hand to signal for me to wait. He went into his office and then called for me to follow him. Was he trying to trap us in the office while he called for the police? I had no answers, so I had no choice but to obey reluctantly.
He turned on the television set and my eyes were set on the screen. The callous truth struck me – my sister was the female lead in the video! She had eaten the bun without paying! My heart sank and my mind was in a complete blank. “Shame on me for thinking the worst of the proprietor,” I muttered in complete embarrassment.
I looked at my sister. She finally looked at me straight in the eyes. “Sorry,” she mumbled. Tears welled up in her eyes. Hunger and desperation had forced her into theft. “You can work for me and I can provide for your meals in future,” the angelic voice of the proprietor rang in my ears.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment