Honest James

Dear friend, I have a story for you today and it is titled Honest James. Enjoy your read!

This post is set at 20% payout to @skids-charity for Steemkids medical support.

Image credit. Canva

People trooped into the market, as usual, some stopping at their favourite vendor's stall to purchase goods as usual. At almost every stall, there were customers bargaining in an attempt to beat down the price to an amount they were willing to give for the items. The abattoir wing was filled to its brim too with people from various places.

As usual, by a quarter to 10, Rosemary was seen strolling to her favourite meat seller's spot of course. Oh! Honest James' stall. He was the most honest man at Itam market and she never ceased to brag to her family, friends or anyone who cared to listen, of how honest James was. This went on for about a decade.

Spotting James from a distance, she let out a cry, "Oh, honest James. Oh! Honest James."

Both sellers and buyers made room for her to pass straight into her favourite vendor's stall. James felt proud and excited as well. You needed to see the way he got all puffed out at the praises he was receiving from Rosemary. He looked quickly at the week's worth of meat he will be selling to his favourite customer and licked his lips in anticipation.

Image credit. VectorStock

Before she arrived, he had cut out the meats she will need for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. When Rosemary came closer, he placed the meat on the scale. But, oh no! He let out a sneeze. Quickly, Rosemary's eyes left his face where she had always stared at to the scale whose value had changed drastically. On seeing James' index finger on the scale, her demeanour became fiercer.

"But James," she began to say, "the meat weighed twice as much the very moment you sneezed".

That was a very polite way of telling James that she had caught him in the act which she had never noticed for the past decade because all what she usually looked at was "honest James' face."

"You are a liar James," she continued, "you have been tricking me all these years." She broke down in tears.

"Now, what do I tell people?" She asked.

Poor James looked so sad and ashamed at himself. He was filled with remorse and begged for forgiveness. He promised to sell half the price of the meats Rosemary will be purchasing in the next two years to cover up for his greed. Everyone there present was proud of him for owning to his mistakes and taking responsibility for it. From then on, he became known as "Honest James" even to people in the diaspora. Everyone returned home happy and James kept to his promise.

Moral lesson

• Do not cheat others in any way.
• Let your yes be yes and no be no as Christ had commanded us to do in the Holy book.
• Accept responsibility for your mistakes and make efforts to change.

What other lessons have you learnt from the story?

---

Cc.
@steemkidss
@ngoenyi
@emyekanem
@goodybest
@benton03

Special greetings to @steemkids community team