Available Balance

He had been unemployed for a year and a half. The debt kept piling up, and making the minimum payment on his credit cards each month was the only thing keeping him afloat. That morning, he opened his banking app to send a small transfer using what little money he had left. Then he froze. Available Balance: $428,761.38 His heart skipped a beat. For a brief moment, it felt like every problem in his life had disappeared. Then reality caught up with him. "It's a system error," he muttered. "There's no way they'll let me keep it." He took a deep breath and called the bank.

He called the bank. As he worked his way through the endless automated menus, trying to reach a customer service representative, he muttered to himself, "Why is it so hard to talk to a real person?" After bouncing from one menu to another, he suddenly stopped and thought, "Why am I the one trying to reach them? They're the ones who made the mistake. Besides, they'll fix it sooner or later anyway." Then, with a faint smile, he thought, "I guess part of me is actually wondering if I'll get to keep it." He hung up the phone. Even if it was just a mistake, there was a fortune sitting in his account, and for the moment, he decided to enjoy the feeling. Even if it would only last for a little while. Smiling to himself, he whispered, "Maybe I'll show the balance to the guys... just to impress them."