The Price of a Lesson

Summary

My mother had a parenting philosophy: "Kill the chicken to scare the monkey."

I was the chicken. My brother, Leo, was the monkey.

From the time I was four, my mother used this tactic.

If Leo broke a bowl, I knelt on the floor to pick up the pieces.

If Leo broke someone else's toy, I wrote the apology letter.

My mother said, "You're the big sister. You didn't watch him properly, so it's your fault."

When I was eight, Leo stole money from the convenience store down the street.

When the fat owner came knocking on our door, Leo didn't hesitate to point at me:

"It was Penny! She took it!"