Petra and the Wrong Bread

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Petra walked into the bakery. She smiled at the woman behind the counter. The bakery smelled warm and nice. There were many breads and cakes on the shelves. Petra looked at all the things carefully. She wanted to buy a small loaf of brown bread. She asked the woman, "Excuse me, do you have any brown bread today?" The woman smiled and said, "Yes, of course!" The woman took a loaf from the shelf. She put it on the counter. Petra looked at the loaf. It was not brown bread. It was white bread. Petra felt a little surprised. She did not want to be rude.

She wanted to be polite. Petra spoke gently to the woman. She said, "I am sorry, but I think this is white bread." The woman looked at the loaf. She said, "Oh, you are right! I am sorry about that." Petra smiled and said, "That is okay, do not worry." The woman went back to the shelf. She looked again at the breads. She picked up another loaf. She brought it to Petra. Petra looked at it again. It was brown bread, but it was a very big loaf. Petra said politely, "Thank you very much, but this loaf is too big for me." The woman looked a little confused. She asked, "Would you like me to cut it for you?" Petra thought about it. She said, "That is a kind idea, thank you."

The woman cut the bread in half. She put one half on the counter for Petra. Petra smiled and said, "This is perfect, thank you so much." The woman smiled back. She was happy to help. Petra paid for the bread. She put it carefully into her bag. Before she left, Petra turned to the woman. She said, "You have been very kind and helpful today." The woman laughed and said, "You have been very polite too!" Petra felt good. She was happy that she spoke kindly. She did not get angry. She did not feel embarrassed. Petra walked out of the bakery. She was glad she said something.