Profiting from a Mistake

Michael was lying on his bed and holding a library stub in the air as he glances through it. He suddenly turned onto his stomach and slowly went through the receipt. After a few minutes, a smile slowly crept across his face.

“Yes,” he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

Six weeks later, as Michael lay on the bed reading a book about video games, his younger brother, Brian, exclaimed,

“You renewed that book again!”

“I didn’t have to. I can keep it for as long as I want,” Michaels replied, without taking his eyes out of the book.

“No, you can’t. It’s the library’s,” Brian said, frowning.

Michael did not reply.

“You better take it back before Mom have to pay a lot of fees,” Brian said.

“There’s not going to be any fees.”

“I’m going to tell Mom,” Brian replied.

“No, wait,” Michael said, “you can’t tell Mom.”

“Why not?”

“Do you remember the security alarm alarming when we left the library last month?” Michael asked.

“Yes, and the librarian told us to keep going, the one who checked out the things,” Brian said, scratching his head.

“Well, for some reason, this book didn’t get checked out. It’s not on the receipt, and that’s probably why the alarm went off,” Michael said, excitedly.

“So?” Brian asked.

“There’s no record of me borrowing this from the library. No one knows that I have it, so I can keep it for as long as I want.”

“God knows,” Brian said.

“Michael,” his Mom, suddenly called from outside.

“Coming,” Michael replied, before saying to his brother, “not a word to Mom, okay!”

Mom was sitting at the dining room table, and the day’s mail was in front of her.

“This letter’s from the library, and it says a book is three weeks overdue,” she said, holding up a paper in her hand.

“I told you,” Brian whispered.

“What’s going on, guys?” Mom asked, looking at both boys.

Michael sighed and told her the entire story.

“There must have been a glitch in the system somewhere,” Mom said, “but son, trying to profit from what you thought was someone’s mistake never works out because not only does that person end up paying for it, you will also pay for it.”

“Now,” Mom continued, “go and bring your savings box, you’ll be paying these fines, and your new video game will have to wait.”


The End