You forgot something

When Ley listened to his MP3 player, he would move his head to the rhythm, stomp his feet, and sing along with the music, all the while with the earphones on.

Oh, how Mario wished he had an MP3 player, too! But his parents wouldn’t buy him one.

“You don’t need it, Mario. You can always listen to the radio or play guitar with Teo anytime. For now, concentrate on your studies, you hear?”

The next day, Mario spotted Ley walking briskly to ride a tricycle. Running after him was a lady holding up a small paper bag.

“Hey, waaaait!” she shouted.

But Ley, who had his earphones on as usual, didn’t hear her. He boarded the tricycle and it zoomed away.

Mario ran to the lady. “Ma’am, that was my friend. Did he –”

“Oh, good!” the lady exclaimed, panting. “Please tell him to come back to Veda’s Drugstore for this – medicines for his grandparents, I suppose. He just kept fiddling with his gadget and left! Is he deaf?”

“Well,” Mario replied, “he couldn’t hear…”

“Whatever!” the lady turned away.

Mario smiled, realizing that having an MP3 player wasn’t so cool after all.

* * *

Prayer

Guide me, Lord, to know what is right for me to have and to let go. Amen.

Memory verse:

“Whoever spends time with wise people will become wise. But whoever makes friends with fools will suffer.” Proverbs 13:20

“Quiet Time with Mateo – 52 Weekly Devotions for Children” is published by OMF Literature, Inc. and available at leading bookstores.