Junior Vocab
Conversation Between Mia and Kabir
Mia: "Look at my new sparkly sandals! They’re from the big shop on the main road."
Kabir: "You already told us three times, Mia. We heard you."
Mia: "But did you see the tiny bells? Listen, they go ching-ching when I walk!"
Kabir: "My slippers are old, okay? They don’t make any sound except flop-flop."
Mia: "I wasn’t talking about your slippers."
Kabir: "It still feels like you’re bragging. Like you’re saying your sandals are better than everything."
Mia: "I just feel happy. Amma even put jasmine in my hair for the pooja."
Kabir: "You can be happy without bragging, na? It makes my stomach feel tight when you keep showing off."
Mia: "Oh. I didn’t want your stomach to feel tight."
Kabir: "When you said, ‘Everyone will stare at my sandals at the temple,’ that sounded like bragging."
Mia: "Hmm. I didn’t like it when Riya kept talking about her big birthday cake last week."
Kabir: "Yeah, you were quiet the whole bus ride."
Mia: "Okay, I get it now. Bragging is when I make my happy thing sound like it’s bigger than other people’s happy things."
Kabir: "Exactly. You can just say, ‘I love my sandals,’ and then ask about mine too."
Mia: "I love my sandals… and I like your flop-flop slippers. They sound like the sea."
Kabir: "The sea?"
Mia: "Yeah, like waves on the sand. Flop-flop-flop."
Kabir: "Then your bells are like the ice cream cart coming. Ching-ching, ice cream!"
Mia: "See? Both are nice. No bragging needed."
Kabir: "Deal. Next time you start bragging, I’ll just say ‘ching-ching warning.’"
Mia: "And I’ll stop and listen instead of talking about my sandals again."