A difficult choice — A phone with a cracked screen

It was a scorching afternoon. My parents were at work, so I was left alone with my elder sister. She had recently purchased a sleek iPhone 18, so she was toying with its intricate features, gushing excitedly. Trying to keep a straight look on my face, I suppressed the green monster and pretended to be fixated on the television screen.

“I’m going to revise my work,” she announced, a determined look on her face. Her examinations were around the corner, so she had been revising diligently. She would even leave her prized possession—her mobile phone—in another room while she was revising.

True enough, she turned and left the living room, leaving her sophisticated gadget on the dining table.

My eyes widened with joy. Here was the chance to get a first-hand look at the newest iPhone model! Without hesitation, I took it and fiddled around with the features.

Try as I might, I could hardly contain the excitement that surged through me. The more I explored the features, the more exhilarated I became. “This phone was really a cut above the rest,” I whispered to myself. I then played a game on one of her apps. The quality of the graphics was top-notch, and the sound was crystal-clear. I felt as if the excitement was fizzing vigorously inside me and threatening to spill over the top of my psyche until……

THUD!

I stared in disbelief at the cracked screen of my sister’s phone. Since it was a recent purchase, she had not bought a screen protector yet. My mind went blank, and my heart sank like an anchor plunged into the immeasurable depths of the ocean.

She was going to kill me! She had saved persistently for months to buy this, but my one moment of folly had washed away all her hard work.

My mind then raced feverishly for a way to salvage the situation. There was no doubt that I had to confess my “sin”. The question was, what should I do after that?

“I guess I would have to work to earn enough money to buy her a new phone,” I muttered. My limbs felt heavy like lead and I could not bring myself to pick up the damaged phone.

My parents would give us some money if we did household chores for them. However, her phone cost a jaw-droppingly exorbitant nine hundred dollars, so even if I sacrificed all my leisure time, it would take me forever to raise enough money.

I was left with only one option. My birthday was approaching, so if I were to ask my parents and relatives not to buy me gifts but instead, give me some money, I should be able to raise enough money to buy her a new phone.

I bit my lip and my lips quivered slightly as I thought about all the fancy toys I would need to forgo. I had been anticipating some of these toys with unbridled enthusiasm since my last birthday. And now, I would have to give up everything.

However, I put myself in the shoes of my sister and knew that I had to be fair to her. She had done no wrong. I needed to make it up to her.

My resolve steeled, I trudged to knock on the study room door. My voice trembled as I owned up to the accident. I hoped fervently that the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Yet I kept my gaze steadily on her. I apologised profusely and sincerely promised that I would buy her a new phone with my birthday gifts.

My sister was livid at first, but her anger gradually dissipated when I told her about my plan. It took me some time to persuade my parents to get on board with the plan, but they relented at last.

To my immense relief, I managed to raise enough money to buy my sister a new phone. I learnt an important lesson at the end. Giving up my presents was a painful and difficult choice I had to make, but the sense of redemption I felt at the end made everything worthwhile. I felt good about having the courage to make amends to my sister. One thing was for sure—I would not be touching anyone’s things without permission any time soon!