Tangled Yarns: Winning by Losing

"I bet I won't."

"I bet you will." "Won't!"

"Will!"

It was one of those stupid arguments. I knew I couldn't win it, and I knew Mitch couldn't win it. But we argued on and on.

"You'll crack, as soon as you start!" said Mitch.

"No I won't"

And we were back in the rut, arguing uselessly about it. The thing was, neither of us really knew if we were right. It was part of the game.

You probably don't know what I'm talking about. It's like this. There was a competition, run by a big supermarket. If you collected enough stickers, you won a meal at the poshest restaurant in town. Mitch and I had collected the stickers and come first equal. The supermarket hadn't expected that to happen, so now they had to have a tie breaker. But there was a catch: Mitch and I had to compete by showing off our good manners. Otherwise we couldn't win the big prize. Did I say 'big prize'? That's a laugh. Do you know what the winner got? A bathroom set. Soap, towel and flannel. Some prize!

"Mum's been teaching me manners!" said Mitch.

"So's mine!"

"I know how to hold a knife and fork properly!"

"Who doesn't!"

"You'll slop everything."

"Won't"

"Will!"

It was pointless. The only way we'd really know was by going to the restaurant and showing off our manners. Our very best manners.

Which is exactly what we did.

The restaurant was ready for us when we arrived. A photographer took pictures of us as we walked up to the door, blinding us with his flashing. A man in a suit and bow tie met us at the door. He shook our hands and smiled like a hungry shark. Mitch and I got past him as quickly as we could. Our parents were there, giving us tips all the way in.