The moment I had been looking for finally came after dinner. Dad went into the living room to finish his latest jigsaw puzzle, and I couldn’t ask for a better place to present my proposal. I plopped down beside him and picked up a puzzle piece. After fitting a couple of pieces into the puzzle, I finally gathered the courage to begin. “Hey, Dad?” I began.
“Hmmm?”
“I’ve been a good son, right? I mean, I make good grades, stay out of trouble, help out around the house. . . .”
Now he knew something was up. He put down his puzzle piece and peered at me from behind his glasses. “I guess so. . . .”
“Well, you see, I was wondering if you could maybe double my allowance?” I asked meekly. Upon seeing his frown, I rushed on. “You see, I really want to get an iPod, and I’m having a really hard time saving up for one with what you give me now.”
Dad sighed. Taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, he said, “Son, you just got an MP3 player for your birthday. Why in the world do you need an iPod?”
“The MP3 player you got me isn’t as cool as the iPod, Dad. I know you just got it for me, but that’s why I want to save up for the iPod myself. I just need a little help from you.”
“Sorry, Mitch, I can’t. Money’s really tight for us right now.”
“But, Dad! It’s not fair. Ryan and Kyle get to have an iPod.”
“There are more important things in life than an iPod, Mitch. You’re lucky you have a roof over your head and food to fill your belly. You’re even luckier to have a family that loves you. That’s a lot more than I had growing up.”
Immediately, I felt ashamed. Dad doesn’t like to talk about his past, but he had told me about it once. Orphaned at age 6, he had moved from one foster home to another until, tired of it all, he had run away at age 16. Living on the streets was even worse, but he was too proud to go crawling back to foster care. It wasn’t until he met Mom that his life turned around.
1
Which of these sentences from the story most directly states one of its themes?
A.
"I plopped down beside him and picked up a puzzle piece."
B.
" 'There are more important things in life than an iPod, Mitch.' "
C.
" 'The MP3 player you got me isn't as cool as the iPod, Dad.' "