Consequences

 

CONSEQUENCES

         Grady stood there with his baseball bat in his hand.  There was nothing he could say.  He was busted.  He had been doing it again this time with bad results.
         His mother said, “I have told you and told you to stop batting stones and you didn’t listen.  Now you have broken a window and a mirror.  Give me the bat.”  His mother reached out her hand.  Grady reluctantly handed it over.  “Now go to your room and sit there.  No TV.  When your father gets home we will decide what you deserve for this.”
         Grady climbed the stairs.  He didn’t mean to break things and it was true he had been told and told about batting stones.  But it was such fun and he did not believe it could do any damage, until now.
         It was getting dark when his father came home.  There was a knock on the door and Grady winced.  “Here it comes.” he thought.
         His father said “What do you have to say for yourself?  You know you are not allowed to bat rocks.”  Grady didn’t answer.  His father went on.  “This rock went in the window and broke it and then hit the plate glass mirror and broke that.”
         Grady said “I’m sorry.”
         “The rock could have hit your mother.”
         “I’m sorry.”
         “Well be glad you aren’t a whole lot sorrier.  You can’t have your bat back.  You will have extra chores to earn the money to replace the mirror and the window…”
         “All right.”
         “And I hope you learned something.”  His father hugged his shoulders. 
         They went down to eat dinner.  There was a roast chicken on the table.  His mother put a drumstick on his plate.  It was good to know they still loved him.
         
         295 words