An Unusual Training

At a self-service shop one of the salesmen keeps an eye on a six- year-old boy. He has been wandering round the aisles of the most attractive part of the shop several times, looking at the shelves packed with various items. But he neither touches nor buys anything except for a few things that already lie in his wire basket. Chocolate in shining paper and sweets in colourful wrappers are very alluring. But, when an accurately counted sum of money which mum gave for salt, pepper and matches tingles in his pocket, a lot of courage is needed to pass calmly by so many tempting things. Salesmen are well aware of these temptations that shoppers with lots of desires and little money have and they try to get rid of them as soon as possible.

“Hey, kid, why are you hanging around not buying anything?” the salesman asks the boy. “This is your third time round, looking at the shelves. Make up your mind what to buy or go home.”
“I’m not going to buy anything else,” the boy answers calmly.
“Then, what are you looking for here?”
“Nothing. I’m only training.”
“Training? …. Is this a race-tracker?”
“I’m training my honesty!”
“What?” asks the salesman with eyes wide open. “You’re training honesty?” He has never heard such an answer. Now the boy aroused his interest. He seems honest, he has a frank and trustworthy look. He didn’t even blush or got confused when he spoke to him. But that training…. He still doesn’t understand that stuff. Trying not to burst into laughter, he asks him seriously: “And how do you train your honesty?”

“Here’s how! When mum sends me to the shop first I buy the items she told me to. Later I pass several times by the shelf with chocolate and I look at them…. and they look at me …. And the more they look at me, the more I frown and think: ‘go on, look at me! I don’t care about you! … Not a bit!…’ At first it wasn’t easy to think like that but now I have already managed. And I don’t frown. Look at me passing by so easily.”

The salesman laughed heartily. He was sure the little boy was telling the truth. Since then nobody has had any doubts as to the little shopper’s honesty. Whenever he enters the shop everybody feel warmth in their hearts and all the salesmen say:
“Here’s our little boy who trains his honesty!”