An embarrassing incident
It was three days until Christmas. Mrs. Neo had several presents to get so she decided to go to Orchard Road where there would be a wide variety of goods to choose from.
She took her five-year-old daughter, Sally, along with her. They took a taxi and in about twenty minutes, they were in Orchard Road. There were many shoppers doing their last-minute shopping.
Mrs. Neo told Sally to follow her closely. They were browsing through some toys in the Children’s Department when Sally saw some fanciful toys which she liked. She asked her mother if she could buy one but Mrs. Neo, too preoccupied with her shopping, brushed her off.
Sally was persistent and began tugging at her mother’s skirt, pleading with her to buy it. Mrs. Neo became irritated and began to scold her. Sally started to throw tantrums too. She began to wail loudly, attracting the attention of many shoppers.
Although Mrs. Neo was embarrassed by her daughter’s bad behaviour, she did not want to give in to her daughter’s demands. She warned Sally to stop crying but her warning fell on deaf ears. Sally went on screaming and shouting. By then, many shoppers had stopped looking at the commotion.
“Stop it!” Mrs. Neo shouted, losing her cool, and instantly, Sally stopped. She looked at Mrs. Neo and began to wipe her tears away. She was a pitiful sight.
Mrs. Neo took her to one side and spoke to her. She told Sally that she must not be stubborn. She added that Sally already had a lot of toys and as Christmas was around the corner, she was sure to receive a lot of toys. Upon hearing that, Sally was convinced and she behaved herself throughout the entire shopping trip.
