NEIGHBOR ASKED MY SON TO SHOVEL SNOW FOR $10 A DAY BUT REFUSED TO PAY—SO I TAUGHT HIM A LESSON ON HOW TO DO BUSINESS
My neighbor, Mr. Dickinson, loves flaunting his wealth, always bragging about his business ventures and luxury toys. So when he offered my 12-year-old son, Ben, $10 to clear his driveway each time it snowed, Ben was over the moon. He talked endlessly about the gifts he’d buy for the family with his earnings, his little face lit up with excitement.
Ben worked hard through the first few snowfalls, waking early to shovel before school, cheeks flushed from the cold. Each evening, he’d proudly tally his earnings, his eyes shining with joy.
But two days before Christmas, Ben came home in tears. He wouldn’t talk at first, but after some coaxing, the story spilled out.
“Mr. Dickinson says HE’S NOT PAYING ME A SINGLE CENT,” Ben choked out, his voice trembling. “He said I should take this as a lesson—to never accept a job without a contract.”
Anger surged through me. What kind of man cheats a child to teach “business lessons”? Ben had poured his heart into this job, and Dickinson dismissed it like a joke. I hugged my son tightly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll handle this.”
That evening, I grabbed my coat and marched to Mr. Dickinson’s door.
I knocked firmly, the chill of the winter air doing nothing to cool my anger. Mr. Dickinson opened the door, his smug smile already grating on my nerves. He was dressed in a designer sweater and holding a steaming mug of coffee, looking as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
“Ah, hello there,” he said casually, clearly unbothered. “What can I do for you?”
I crossed my arms, my voice calm but firm. “It’s about Ben. You offered him a job to shovel your driveway for $10 a day, and he worked hard for you. Yet you’ve refused to pay him. Care to explain?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Look, I’m teaching the boy a valuable life lesson. He needs to learn the basics of business. You don’t work without a contract, and you certainly don’t assume people will pay you without something in writing. He’ll thank me for it one day.”
I stared at him, my anger bubbling just below the surface. “So you’re telling me that you, a grown man, cheated a 12-year-old out of his hard-earned money to teach him a lesson in business ethics?”
Dickinson smirked, shrugging as if he’d just done Ben a favor. “It’s how the real world works. It’s not personal—it’s just business.”
I took a deep breath, keeping my temper in check. “Fine, if that’s how you want to play it. But don’t forget, two can play the game of business.”
Before he could respond, I turned on my heel and left, my mind already spinning with a plan.
The next morning, I walked outside just as Dickinson was leaving for a meeting. His driveway was covered in snow again, fresh from an overnight storm. But this time, it wasn’t Ben out there shoveling. Instead, I had hired three other neighborhood kids to clear our driveway and his—but there was a twist.
“Make sure you pile all the snow back onto Mr. Dickinson’s driveway,” I instructed them with a smile.
By the time Dickinson returned that afternoon, his driveway was buried under a mountain of snow, even worse than before. He stomped over to my house, his face red with fury, and pounded on my door.
“What the hell is this?” he shouted as I opened the door. “Your kid dumped all the snow from your driveway onto mine! This is outrageous!”
I smiled politely, my voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Oh, no, Mr. Dickinson. It wasn’t Ben. I hired some other kids to clear my driveway. But I didn’t specify what they should do with the snow afterward. I guess I forgot to get a contract.”
His face turned a deep shade of crimson as he realized what I was doing. “This isn’t funny! I have a meeting tomorrow, and I can’t even get my car out of the garage!”
I shrugged. “Well, Mr. Dickinson, that’s how the real world works, isn’t it? You don’t assume people will act fairly unless you’ve got something in writing.”
“You can’t just—” he started, but I cut him off.
“Oh, but I can,” I said, stepping closer. “And here’s the deal, Mr. Dickinson: I’ll gladly pay those same kids to shovel your driveway clean, but it’s going to cost you $20 per day moving forward. Double the rate. Call it a lesson in supply and demand.”
He glared at me, his jaw working as he tried to come up with a response. Finally, he grumbled, “Fine. I’ll pay the damn $10 I owe Ben. Happy now?”
I shook my head. “No, the rate’s gone up. You owe him $20 per day for every day he shoveled your driveway. That’s four days, so $80 in total. Otherwise, I’ll just keep paying those kids to bury your driveway every morning until spring.”
Dickinson sputtered, but he knew he was cornered. With a huff, he stormed back into his house. Ten minutes later, he returned with $80 in cash, practically throwing it at me.
“Here’s your money. Now get those kids to clear my driveway.”
I smiled as I handed the cash to Ben, who had been watching the entire exchange from the window. His face lit up with pride as he counted the money.
“Thanks, Mom,” he said, hugging me tightly.
“Don’t thank me,” I said with a wink. “Thank Mr. Dickinson for teaching you such a valuable business lesson.”
From that day on, Dickinson never tried to cheat another kid in the neighborhood again. As for Ben, he learned not just about contracts, but also about standing up for himself—and the power of a well-executed lesson in karma.
