My friend and I had been out to lunch and were walking back to our cars when a officer stopped us. My friend had been caught throwing a cigarette butt on the ground. I was shocked. I had never seen my friend act in such a careless manner before.
The officer asked for my friend’s identification, which he handed over. The officer then proceeded to issue him a fine for littering.
My friend seemed unfazed by the fine and simply said, “Say no money, pay fine nevermind, mother will pay.” The officer, obviously taken aback by this response, told my friend that this was not an acceptable way to handle the situation and that if he did not pay the fine, he would be summoned to court.
I was stunned. I had never seen my friend so nonchalant about a serious issue like this. I had always known him to be a responsible person but this time, he seemed to think that his mother’s money would be enough to get him out of any trouble. I was also embarrassed. Here I was, standing in the middle of the street, with a officer and my friend, who was acting like a spoiled brat.
I tried to reason with my friend and explain that this was a serious matter and that he needed to take responsibility for his actions.
But he refused to listen and continued to insist that his mother would take care of it.
At this point, the police officer had had enough and threatened to take my friend to the station.
The incident made me realize that my friend had been spoiled and had grown up with a sense of entitlement. He thought that he could get away with anything because his mother was wealthy. But this was not the case. He needed to learn that money was not the answer to everything and that he needed to take responsibility for his actions.
I have spoken to my friend about this incident since then and he has apologized for his behavior and promised to never act like this again.
He now understands that money can’t buy him out of trouble and that he needs to take responsibility for his actions.