That morning, Santi’s neighbor, Mrs. Rina, came by her house. With a friendly smile, Mrs. Rina greeted her, slightly out of breath.
“Hey, Santi… would it be okay if we take your youngest to go swimming? My nieces and nephews are all visiting, so it’s going to be a fun trip,” she said.
Santi was surprised. Of her three kids, only the youngest was invited. She thought to herself, “That’s odd… but alright, since my child seems excited, I’ll let them go.”
“Sure, no problem. Just be careful on the road,” she replied with a smile.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Rina came back, looking a little awkward this time.
“Uh… Santi, would it be okay if we borrowed your car? We’re a big group and our car isn’t enough to fit everyone.”
Santi hesitated but eventually agreed. “Okay, but please don’t take too long. I’ll need it tomorrow.”
The day went by, and in the late afternoon, her car finally returned. Her child came out looking exhausted and cranky.
“Mom… I’m so tired. The swimming was far, outside the city. And the car was super cramped with too many people.”
Santi was shocked.
“Outside the city? Cramped?” she thought.
After parking, she peeked at the fuel gauge. The tank was almost empty — and no one had refilled it.
That’s when Santi realized what really happened.
She felt tricked. It seemed the real goal was borrowing her car, and her child was just an excuse.
With a long sigh, Santi muttered to herself, “Never again. Not lending my car just because someone uses my kid as an excuse.”
Photo by Humphrey M on Unsplash
