Jenny was a five-year-old girl.
One day, when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny
saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. Jenny really wanted that necklace
and asked her mother for it. Her mother replied, “Well, it is a pretty
necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. But I do know of a way that you
can have it. I’ll buy you the necklace and when we get home, we can make
up a list of chores that you can do to earn the necklace. And don’t forget
that for your birthday, grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too.
Okay?” Jenny agreed and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her.
Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day and sure enough, her grandma
gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon, Jenny had paid off the
pearls. How she loved those pearls! She wore them everywhere - to school, whenever
she went out with her mother to run errands, and even to bed! The only time she
didn’t wear them was in the shower, because her mother had told her that
they would turn her neck green!
Jenny had a very loving father. When Jenny would go to bed, he would get up
from his favorite chair and read Jenny her favorite story. One night, when he
finished the story, he said, “Jenny, do you love me?” “Oh yes,
Daddy, you know I love you,” the little girl said. “Well, then give
me your pearls.” “Oh, Daddy! Not my pearls!” Jenny said. “But
you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year
for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, okay?” “Oh
no, darling, that’s okay.” Her father kiss her cheek and said, “Good
night, little one.”
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after the bedtime story, “Do
you love me?” Jenny replied “Oh yes, daddy, you know I love you.” So,
her father again said, “Well, then give me your pearls.” To which,
Jenny replied, “Oh Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy
horse. Do you remember her? She’s my favorite. Her hair is so soft and
you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you
want her, Daddy,” the little girl said to her father. “No, that’s
okay,” her father said and kissed her cheek again. “God bless you,
little one. Sweet dreams.”
Several days later, when Jenny’s father came in to read her a story
as usual, Jenny was sitting on her bed, anxious and trembling because she finally
decided to give the necklace to her daddy. “Here, Daddy,” she said
and held out her hand. She opened the fist that held her beloved pearl necklace.
She let the necklace slip into her father’s hand. With one hand, her father
held the plastic pearls and with the other, he pulled out of his pocket, a blue
velvet gift box. Inside the box were genuine, beautiful pearls. He had them with
him all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap imitation necklace
so he could give her the real pearls.
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