The day was like any other summer day for Matthew. He had just returned from helping an elderly couple down the road with yard work and mowing their lawn. It was not a huge job, but it did provide him with a little money to save up for a new golf set, some outings with his friends, and a little treat from the convenience store down the street. It was hot that day, and Matthew could not resist stopping to get a refreshing soda before going home. He paid the clerk, tucked his change in his shorts pocket and headed home, thoroughly enjoying his ice cold soda. As he approached his house, he could hear the laughter and shouts of a group of neighborhood boys and girls who were playing with his youngest brother, James.
Matthew smiled and went into the house to put his money away. Matthew loved to golf and had almost outgrown the beginner set of clubs he had, so getting a new set was an important goal for him. He went upstairs to the room he shared with James and started separating out the different bills and coins from his pocket. He kept a jar on his desk for all the one dollar bills and coins, but he put the larger bills in a secret spot to make sure he would not be tempted to spend them on anything but the golf set he was saving up for. Matthew counted up the money already in the jar and then added the new dollar bills and coins, writing the new total in a little notebook he kept in his drawer.
Several days later, Matthew arrived home from an outing with his friends to find that James and a group of neighborhood kids had set up a play store in the garage and were having fun taking turns as the shoppers and the store clerk. It brought back many fond memories to Matthew when he saw this and the fun they were having exchanging the play money for the various tools, toys, and other items they had set up for their store. Matthew went into the house to find that he had received a thank you card from another neighbor he had helped with a small job, and they had sent him five crisp one dollar bills! He smiled as he tucked them in his pocket!
Before going to bed that night, Matthew pulled the dollars from his pocket to add them to his jar on the desk. For fun, he decided to recount again what he had. However, the happy feeling left him quickly. It just wasn’t right! He checked his notebook again, and sure enough, he was missing two dollars and fifty-seven cents. Matthew was very good at math, and he knew there was no way he had miscounted such an odd amount. He looked over at his brother James, who was now fast asleep. Even though Matthew was twelve and James only six, he never had any problem sharing a room. James looked up to Matthew and was always respectful to him. Matthew just did not want to suspect he would have taken it, so he decided not to say anything unless he could know for certain.
The next week, Matthew again helped the older couple with yard work and mowing. Feeling very tired and sweaty, but also very satisfied with the twenty dollars he just earned, he decided to once again stop for a delicious, ice cold beverage on the way home. As he approached the yard, he once again saw a group of kids playing store again in the garage with James. Their laughter and joy brought another smile to his face.
After dinner that evening, he and James played hide-and-seek and a board game before heading off to bed. As Matthew changed for bed, he realized he still had his change in his pocket. James was sound asleep in minutes, and Matthew separated out his bigger bills to put in his secret place again. Before adding the new change to his jar, he counted it once again, still perplexed by the shortage he found last week. As he counted the money, a sick feeling came over him. He pulled out his notebook to check the amount he had written the last time he counted. It couldn’t be! Now the total was short by another four dollars and twelve cents! He counted it two more times, growing more upset with each passing second, knowing that there was more money missing. He decided to put his other new change in his pillowcase instead, not wanting to risk that disappearing as well. It just didn’t make sense. James was a good and honest brother, and Matthew still just could not imagine him taking his money. James was only six years old! What would he do with it anyway? Matthew decided again to not say anything to anyone about it.
As he lay in bed, his mind just could not let him sleep. He just had to figure out what was happening to his money! He started thinking of the other kids who had been playing with James recently. Could one of them be the thief? Matthew figured there was only one way he could find out. He would have to hide out in his closet the next time the kids came over.
The next morning at breakfast, James talked excitedly about the kids coming over that afternoon again. Matthew had hoped to go biking with friends but changed plans to the next day so he could stay home to watch for the thief. Later that day, as Matthew heard the children gathering outside, he quickly grabbed a snack, his favorite book, and a flashlight, so he could wait comfortably in his closet. Before he could even finish his snack, he heard the sound of someone in his room and coins jingling. He quickly shut off his flashlight and peeked out of the closet to see one of the other boys tucking several dollar bills and some coins in his pocket and leaving the room. Matthew decided to follow him to see what he was going to do with it. The boy ran back to the others in the garage where they were playing store and put the money into the cash register. It didn’t appear he was taking it for himself, so Matthew just hung around until they all left so he could check the cash register. Sure enough, as he sorted out the real money from the play money and counted it, the real money added up to exactly the amount that had gone missing. Matthew felt happy the mystery was solved and that he had his money back. From then on, however, he decided he would keep his change jar out of sight when other children were coming over to play.
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