Jimmy's Turtle- Part 2

“I can’t!” he said numbly. Then he followed Bob into the classroom. Mrs. Ramsey motioned for him to come over.
“You still plan to stay after school do you not?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he replied coldly, “May I go sit down now?”
“Yes, you may,” she sighed, “If only high schoolers wouldn’t set such a bad example.” she thought.
The next day was Jimmy’s birthday. He was turning eight. That night Jimmy opened presents. It was his favorite part of birthdays.
“Awesome!” he exclaimed, “A remote-control car! Cool! A Spiderman poster!” Finally his parents brought out a box with holes poked in the side.
“Careful,” Mom warned, “It’s alive. You’ve proven to be responsible enough. You haven’t had to stay after school for two months in a row. If that happens another two months you get another big thing.”
“Even if it’s not my birthday?”
“Even then,” she smiled, “Go on. Open it.”
“I didn’t tell Mom about yesterday,” he thought, “I won’t. I’ve always wanted a pet.”
“A turtle!” he yelled. He watched it in awe.
“I’m glad you like it,” said Dad. Jimmy grinned.
“I love it!” he said, “His name is Ninja.” He smiled again, “I won’t get into trouble anymore!” Dad frowned.
“I hope not, Son. I’m hoping Ninja will teach you to be honest,” he replied seriously. Jimmy looked down.
“Should I tell?” he wondered, “Would Dad be proud of me for being honest, or mad at me for getting in trouble yesterday?”
“Dad?” he said, “I need to talk to you alone.”
“Sure, Jimmy. How about in your room?” Jimmy followed Dad down the hall. Jimmy sighed and sat down.
“Dad, what you said about Ninja and being honest—” he paused to let the words sink in, “I have been in trouble over the last two months, and I’ve been kind of rude to Mrs. Ramsey. I’m sorry. I guess I’d better say bye to Ninja.”
“Not necessarily. What you just did was really hard to do. I’d say we could make arrangements for you to keep Ninja, as long as it counts for four months instead of two. So the next two months you get nothing, and after that you do. A turtle’s a big responsibility, and what you just did proves you can handle it. Oh, and how about tomorrow we go to school early. I think we have an apology to make. I hope you learned a lesson from this.”
“I did, Dad. I certainly did. Oh, and can I invite Bob and Fred over tomorrow after school? I also have a party to make up for. I’ll show them my new toys and stuff too.”
“That’s fine with me, as long as it’s fine with their parents.”1