“Here’s $5.00, Shannon,” Mrs. Henderson said, smiling. “You did a very good job washing my car.”

Shannon took the money happily. She couldn’t wait to count her savings. “I may have enough,” she thought. She picked up her basketball and began dribbling it home. Mrs. Henderson laughed. Like everyone else in the neighborhood, she was used to seeing Shannon bounce that ball. It seemed as if Shannon never went anywhere without it.

“Mom, I’m home,” Shannon called, opening the door and dribbling the basketball inside.

“Shannon, how many times do I have to tell you?” her mother asked. “Don’t bounce that ball in the house. You’ll break something.” Shannon stopped dribbling and frowned. She was sure she wouldn’t break anything. She was a good basketball player. She tucked the ball under her arm and went to her room.

In her room Shannon took out her money and counted it. Then she unfolded the piece of newspaper she had saved from the day before. The basketball shoes she wanted were on sale. She had enough money to buy them!

She ran downstairs. “Mom!” she shouted excitedly, “I have enough money for those basketball shoes! Will you take me to the store?”

“I can’t right now,” her mother said. “I have to take your brother to soccer practice. Your dad is in the backyard. You can ask him or wait until I get home.”

“I’ll ask Dad,” Shannon said as her mom left.

“Sure, I’ll take you,” Dad said. “Give me a few minutes to finish watering these trees. You go and get ready.”

Shannon couldn’t believe that she was finally going to get the shoes she wanted. She changed into some clean clothes and grabbed her ball. While she waited in the living room, Shannon dreamed of playing basketball in her new shoes. Without thinking, she dribbled the ball. That’s when it happened. The ball hit her foot and bounced off the coffee table. Mom’s favorite picture frame toppled. It crashed to the floor.

“Oh, no!” Shannon cried. She ran to pick it up. The picture frame was broken, and the glass had a large crack across it. Just then Shannon heard her father opening the back door. She quickly replaced the frame, setting it on the table again. Maybe no one would notice. She didn’t want to get into trouble now. She wanted to get her new shoes first. A few minutes later Shannon and her father were on their way to the mall.

At the store the salesperson measured Shannon’s feet. Then he brought her the correct size. Shannon tried on the shoes. They were just what she wanted, but she began to feel a little sick to her stomach. Her head started to hurt. “Dad,” she said as she was about to pay, “I can’t buy these shoes today.”

“Why not?” Dad asked. After Shannon explained what happened, she and her father went to find a new frame just like the one Shannon had broken. It took almost all the money Shannon had saved to pay for the new frame.

“Well, at least I have a little left to start saving with again,” Shannon told her father.

When she got home, Shannon carefully carried her basketball to her room. She and her father moved the photograph from the broken frame into the new one. Just then Shannon’s mother and brother came home.

“Did you get your new shoes?” Shannon’s mother asked. Then she saw the picture frame. “What are you doing with my frame?”

“It’s a new one, Mom,” Shannon said. “I was bouncing my basketball in the house, and I broke the old one.”

Shannon’s mother shook her head. “Well, I’m glad you told me,” she said and picked up the old frame to look at it. “You did the right thing. I’ll bet your shoes will go on sale again soon.”

“And I’ll bet that I never dribble my ball in the house again,” Shannon replied.