source: www.youthwork-practice.com | 2000 Games, Devotions, Themes, Ideas and more for Youth Work
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Overview: Short stories – stories for children and teens
Subject: On the wrong side of the tracks or being honest?
Contents:
A boy whose parents are unemployed is going out with a rich girl. He suffers under the fact that he cannot offer her anything and is frightened he will lose her. He simply steals some money from his girlfriend’s parents because they have enough anyway.
300 Euro
It just clicked from the very beginning between Anke and me. She is 15 years old, so one year younger than me, and although she goes to a grammar school while I try to get through my youth training scheme, she has never acted as if she is better than me. That is simply not her style. The only thing which got to me a bit in our relationship was the fact that Anke had a lot more money than me. Her parents are quite well-to-do, her father is a dentist and they live in the posh villa quarter of town.
Anke is not a show-off or at all big headed. She simply has a totally different relationship with money to me. Her parents give her so much that she can always buy the best clothes. She has a brilliant mobile phone, hundreds of CDs and the newest games console. Anke gets everything she wants and that is normal to her. She probably spends double the amount I get pocket money on cosmetics alone.
Obviously it does have advantages if your girlfriend has lots of cash. I often lend her CDs and copy them for myself or lend her digital camera when I want to take photos but other things are all the more annoying! For example, Anke always wants to go to the cinema. The entrance tickets cost around 15 € for the both of us. With popcorn and something to drink on top, it means that I am quickly rid of half my pocket money and my paper round money in one evening. Anke knows that I am not in a good financial position and therefore does not want me to invite her too often. She really is nice and does not show that her parents are rich but lots of her friends are quite different! The also live in the posh end of town, all have lots of money and always like to remind me that my father is unemployed at the moment. „There comes the dole beggar!” or laugh at me when Anke pays the bill for both of us: „Well you have a great boyfriend – a real gigolo. Do you have to pay for everything?” That always makes me angry. I cannot do anything about the fact that my parents don’t have much. However if I get really angry and try to defend myself the whole thing just gets much worse. Then Anke’s friends make out as if I am a total twerp as if: „No money and primitive to boot.” Pierre is real arsehole. I know that he fancies Anke but she knocked him down. Now he is jealous of me and because he can’t do anything else to me, he makes fun of me along with the others. „Tell me, Anke, does your antisocial friend have lice or something?” When we were at McDonalds last time and someone didn’t finish their food he said that I should ask for a doggy bag so that my parents have something warm to eat for a change. What a jerk! We would have gone at each other if Anke hadn’t got in between us.
The worst thing of all time was Anke’s birthday! I am actually quite good with my hands and I had carved a jewellery box from wood for her jewellery. I spent days working on it and the box turned out really nice. Despite this, it was a big mistake that I hadn’t given her my present once we were alone. At the party some of her friends arrived with major expensive presents. I felt really stupid with my handmade gift. Anke was really pleased with it but all of the others gawked stupidly and made jokes about my jewellery box. Pierre had obviously pulled the stops out again and right at the end of the party, handed Anke two tickets for the Pink concert in May. She totally flipped out with joy because she is such a big Pink fan. She hugged him and even gave him a kiss. I was hopping mad!
A few days later Anke asked me if I would mind if she went to the Pink concert with Pierre. „He gave me the expensive tickets after all and he said that he would pay for the train tickets. I cannot turn him down, can I? It’s really nice of him, isn’t it?” I almost flipped out with jealousy and we had a big fight.
Anke called me again that evening. She had spoken to Pierre about our fight and the fine toff has offered to buy me a ticket as well so I can come along. Anke would pay for my train ticket. I really got annoyed again. „What do you two believe I am? You and your slimy Pierre. Obviously I will come to the concert, if only to make sure that he doesn’t make a move on you. Tell him he can order me a ticket but I’ll pay myself! And the train ticket!“
„Hey, the ticket costs 70 € and the train ticket on top….”
„Let me worry about that! My parents might not be as rich as yours but I’ll get the money together!” I interrupted her. „I don’t need any handouts!“
„Ok, ok, just as you like.” Anke said „I am really pleased that you will come too.”
„Yes, me too. I love you Anke!”
I managed to work that one out but I still had a big problem now. First 70 € for the ticket, then 40 € for the train ticket and then we would probably want to go for something to eat. I certainly did not want Pierre to pay for Anke there. That meant that I would need to get around 150 € together – that was a lot of money for me. I couldn’t ask my parents for it. That would have been a pointless exercise. I couldn’t earn the money on my paper round – time was too short. I was therefore pretty desperate. All of a sudden the idea came to me where I could get the money. What I had planned certainly wasn’t right, in fact it was theft and I was pretty scared, but I couldn’t risk losing my girlfriend to that Pierre. Never!
On the next day I was at Anke’s house. The house was very swanky – the stark opposite to our flat. When we were alone once, Anke had shown me her father’s office. In his desk, in the top drawer there was a cigarette box stuffed full of notes. Anke said that she sometimes took a tenner or two when she needed it. „Daddy doesn’t notice. He has so much anyway. He had so much money that he didn’t notice when some was missing so it wouldn’t do any harm if I took a little too. I had suddenly come across the idea last night. Anyway, I would give the money back again when I had earned enough money on the paper round. I had promised myself that. For that reason, it wasn’t real theft. It was more a case of just lending the money.
„I’m just going to the toilet” I said to Anke. After I had made sure that no one was there, I went into her father’s office and carefully took out the wad “Holy Moses!” There were really wads and wads of notes inside. There was around 3.000 – 4.000 €! Then it came over me and I did not just take 150 € but 300. While we’re at it! Her father wouldn’t notice anyway – Anke had said that herself. As I went back into her room I was really happy because I had solved my money problem. My bad mood was gone in a flash because I could now look forward to a great Pink concert with my girlfriend!
However it did not quite get that far! Anke had just called me and cried her eyes out. „My father has just found out that I take money from him. He totally flipped out.“
„Oh!” I did not know what to say as so many thoughts flew through my head all at once. „You said that you thought he would never notice” was the only thing I could say.
„It seems like he did notice.” I could hardly understand Anke because she was crying so hard. „Daddy said that he had noticed for a while now that I was stealing from him but as long as it was only 10 – 20 € per month, he would turn a blind eye. Now he is missing 300 Euro and he can not and will not let that go on. I admitted that I had sometimes taken a tenner but that certainly wasn’t me with the 300 Euro. Really! Daddy does not believe me though and said that he is so unbelievably disappointed in me because I hadn’t just stole from him but lied as well. I have been grounded for 4 weeks and I’m not allowed to go the Pink concert. I am so sad.” I tried to comfort Anke for ages but she was inconsolable. She had been looking forward to the concert so much.
I am pretty whacked and have such a guilty conscience. My girlfriend cannot go with me to see Pink because I stole money and I am too much of a coward to tell her the truth. Anke is being punished on my behalf. I am really sorry about it and I won’t go the concert without her anyway. On the other side, if I get rid of my guilty conscience and make a confession that I had stolen the money, everyone would find out. Anke’s parents would not allow their daughter to continue going out with me – a thief. I am sure of that. I can either keep my mouth shut and let Anke take the flack for something I did or I can admit that I took the money and then lose my girlfriend.
I have really made a big mess and do not know what to do now?
Suggestions for questions for an introduction to a discussion:
- What led to the boy stealing 300 €?
- Why did he do it?
- Did he have any other options?
- What would you have done?
- How might the story have continued?
Learning targets:
- Lying or stealing to impress or please a boy/girlfriend or to be able to offer them something does not help anything. You are always the loser.
- Jealousy can lead to us wanting the same things as others and leads us into temptation to steal, to lie and to con others (even when we try to reason it with excuses or make it seem harmless).
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