When I was seven years old, I was given a small wallet to keep my pocket-money in. It made me feel grown up and I carried it proudly in my hip pocket.
One day, during recess in school, I discovered that my wallet was missing. I searched all my pockets but could not find it. There were a couple of ringgit or so in the wallet and without it I could not buy anything to eat.
I was close to tears. It was not so much because of losing my precious wallet but because I might get a scolding from my parents. Anyhow I went hungry that day.
After recess I was in no mood to study at all. I kept thinking about how I lost my wallet and what my parents would do to me. How was I going to explain the loss? I did not know whether someone had pinched it from my pocket or it had merely fallen out. I prayed that someone would find it and return it to me.
My prayers came to nought. Fortunately I did not have to pay to get on my school bus. My fare was paid for monthly.
When I told my mother about my loss, she was clearly angry. I received a long lecture about my carelessness. When my father came home, I received another lecture. Also I was told that there would not be any more wallets for me until I got older.
So for the rest of the year and two years following, I carried my pocket-money (which became only a ringgit) in my pocket, without any wallet. I am glad to say I never lost any money again. I had learned to be more careful. It is not pleasant to lose something and then get scolded for losing it.
