Theme: Respect

No skipping lines!

Duda's mother came into the house excited. She was returning from the parent-teacher meeting at school, where she had received good news.

- How was the meeting, Mom? What did Mrs. Dalva say? - asked Duda, curious.

- It was very good. The parents got the report cards and I saw that you got good grades, Duda. Congratulations, darling, for your dedication. The teacher also said that you behave well in the classroom, you are polite with her and with your classmates.

	That's great, Duda, I was very happy! - said the mother, hugging her daughter. - It was good too, because I met the
other mothers, and we talked a lot - she continued. - I met Valentina's mother, the new girl who joined your class this week. She was very nice, she thanked you for helping Valentina on the first day. She said that she is getting used to it and has enjoyed school. Is this new girl nice, Duda?

- She's pretty cool, yeah, Mom. We have become friends. On the first day she scared me, but then everything was fine - said Duda, smiling.

- Scared? What do you mean? - the mother wanted to know.

Duda then explained:

- On Valentina's first day in class, she sat next to me, and I explained some things to her during class. At recess she went to the bathroom, and I went quickly to the cafeteria, because there was a huge queue to buy lunch. When I was in line, she arrived and went there, where I was, to talk to me. I was really embarrassed because I thought she wanted to skip the line, just because she knew me. And Mrs. Dalva has already said several times that nobody can jump the line, she explained that this is disrespectful to those who arrived before and that she did not want to see any of her students doing that. If I let Valentina skip the line in my place, everyone would think badly of me.

- For sure! No one likes to be there waiting and someone else arrives later and walks in front of you. Skipping the line is really annoying. So, what happened then, daughter? Any colleagues complained?

- No, mother, she didn't want to jump the line. That's why I said it was just a shock. She went talking to me just to ask what snack I liked in the canteen, what was worth buying with the money she had. I said, she thanked me and then went to the end of the line to wait her turn.

- Ah, that's good! So, she is really well polite, daughter.

- She is! And when she went to the end of the line, I was so relieved that she didn't embarrass me that I went with her too, so we could keep talking. When it was our turn, I had already told her everything, and she had even decided what to order.

- Cool, daughter! Good idea you had. Instead of her going forward, you went backwards. No reason for anyone to complain!

- True, mom, and I didn't mind waiting longer, because talking to Valentina longer was even good, because she also liked me and now, I have gained a new friend.

- That's it, darling! We never lose in doing what is right! - concluded Duda's mother, hugging her once more.

Duda and Valentina later became really good friends. They got along well, they were similar in many ways, and they were girls who knew how to respect people and even when they got in a long line they thought: “No skipping lines!”

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com