On the way back home from the metalworking studio that day, the train journey seemed to take twice as long. There was a man sitting next to us, eating something. Although John had given me a few sweets at the workshop, I was very tempted by this guy’s selection of snacks. If I were to secretly take some of his sweets, maybe no one would notice.
Micah, however, guessed what I was thinking. He warned me not to do it. “We mustn’t take anything that doesn’t belong to us without permission!”
I felt a little embarrassed because my tummy was singing a rumbly song. The man noticed me watching him, and perhaps he also heard my tummy growling because he grinned and generously shared his sweets with me.
I thanked him profusely. The gummy bears were thoroughly delicious. The ride home seemed much more tolerable now.
The evening after the trip, as I was lying in a bath of sudsy water, I asked Micah when I’d be able to ride my new bike. I was just so eager! “Will it be ready tomorrow?”
But Micah quelled my excitement instantly. “No, not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, and not even next week.”
“But you made a deal with John!” I snorted. Clearly, I didn’t understand anything about deal-making.
I had no choice but to continue dreaming about the bicycle, about the beautiful vistas I would ride through, about feeling the wind on my face…
“Maximiliano!” A familiar voice woke me up. Was I dreaming? “Maaax,” Micah was whispering in my ear, so as not to scare me.
I’ve always been a heavy sleeper and I usually fall asleep easily. But that night, I couldn’t drift off for a long time because I was thinking…