“And buy two cans of corn. I’ll use it to make a good salad. And you can get yourselves some fruit leather for dessert. Boys, are you listening?”

“Certainly!”

“Of course!”

But they weren’t really. The troublesome two had been busy with their comics. What their mother said went in one ear and out the other.

Mrs. Friedman gave them some money, and sent them off.

Fishel and Faivish had reached the top of Sunny Lane, when they suddenly realized they had no idea where they were going.

“Which store are we going to?” asked Fishel.

“I was going to ask you that,” replied Faivish.

“Why didn’t you listen to what Mommy said?”

“Why didn’t you listen?”

“Well, if you had listened, then you could have told me.”

“Huh! I like that! What about if you’d have listened—”

“Oh, be quiet. Look here, we’ve gotta get the shopping figured out.”

There was silence as the boys racked their brains, trying to remember what Mrs. Friedman had said.

“I remember now! Mommy said we should buy soles.”

“Soles? I suppose she means insoles. Come on, let’s go to the shoe shop.”

Off they marched to the shoe store on Main Street.

“One pair of insoles, mister,” said Fishel importantly.

“Certainly,” said the shopkeeper. “What size?”

Fishel had no idea.

“Er…any,” he replied.

The shopkeeper shrugged, then picked out a pair of Bio-Foam Removable Insoles with Cork in a medium size.

Meanwhile, Faivish was eying a bottle on a shelf with great excitement.

“Look at that! It says, ‘Best Treatment for Corns on Toes’! I definitely remember Mommy saying something about corns. We’ll take this too, please.”

Fishel and Faivish walked home feeling very pleased with themselves. They’d remembered everything on their mother’s list! She was sure to be delighted. Maybe she would even give them a treat.

They handed the shopping bag to their mother.

Mrs. Friedman eyed the logo on the bag in surprise. Why was Gavriel using bags from a shoe store? Had he run out of his own bags? She looked inside, and spotted a pair of Bio-Foam Removable Insoles with Cork.

“What’s this? What in the world did you buy insoles for?” she cried.

“B-but you said—”

“And ‘Best Treatment for Corns on Toes’? Am I supposed to use this to make supper? Where’s the fish and canned corn I asked you to get?”

Fishel and Faivish stood there, dumbstruck.

“You boys didn’t listen to a word I said,” declared their mother, upset.

The brothers felt terrible. They hated seeing their mother looking so sad. Oh, dear. How could they fix things?

“We’d better run back to the store, and get the right stuff this time,” Fishel hissed at his brother.

“But we don’t have any money left.”

“Let’s ask Jolly Solly for help!”

“Bye, Mommy, we’re going to fix everything.”

Before Mrs. Friedman could ask them how on earth they could possibly do that, they were gone.

Jolly Solly was most helpful. He accompanied the brothers to Gavriel’s Grocery, and helped them find the sole and canned corn. He gave them money for the stuff from the shoe shop, explaining it would be perfect for a new trick he was working on. The boys used this money to pay Gavriel.

Then they ran home.

“Sorry, Mommy!” declared Fishel wholeheartedly.

“We have the right stuff now, really!” added Faivish.

The only thing missing, Mommy realized, was fruit leather. But by then it was too late to go back: Gavriel’s Grocery was closed.

Next time, pay attention, boys!

Fishel and Faivish walked home feeling very pleased with themselves. They’d remembered everything on their mother’s list!

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Jr., Issue 928)