What I Learned at Church
Convincing Peers to Commit a Heist
Gabby and Simon had abadoned their trays of spaghetti to listen to my plan. I took a bite of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, watching their expressions give away their thoughts. Simon's cunning, but Gabby looked like a cartoon character, eyes popping.
Gabby spoke first, "my mom gave me money, so I don't have to steal."
Simon's face contorted at the mention of the name 'mom'; no doubt a trigger. He'd lost his mom to a car crash the year prior, but Gabby was oblivious. "It's not my fault you're poor! Besides, what would the Lord think?"
Simon grunted while I responded, "On Sunday, my pastors' sermon was about, if we do a wrong, all we have to do is ask for God's forgiveness. Then it's fine."
Simon nodded his head, adding, "Yeah, I remember going to Grams' church after... well after, you know, and her reverand said, 'June, once saved, always saved.' So I vote yes."
"Two, against you Gabby", I replied. She clutched her cross necklace while I placed the Scholastic Book Fair catalog on the table. It was marked up with red pen, notating which book I wanted. After lunch, I'd be the owner of "Matilda".
About the Creator
Nikki Torino Wagner
I know stories. After getting suspended for peddaling my own magazine, in grade school, I started contributing to the local paper's weekly column. In college, I co-edited, and won several awards, for our paper and literary magazine.
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Comments (5)
Love this story and how well it portrays a child’s reasoning and understanding of what they’re taught, and just how sweet and innocent it is to want to steal a book 🥺
I feel like this has undertones of past truths….
I really love this and the childrens perspective
The ending made me smile, such a perfect heist for kids!
Love the take on kids understanding in church! Definitely not the plan I was expecting, love it!