Max was leaning on Fran, talking to her when a young man breezily enters.
Young man:
“Hi Max!”
Max:
“Hi Tim.”
Tim:
“I need my shirts to look really good today, some big bosses are in town and I think that I am in line for a promotion.”
Max:
“That’s great Tim. You must really be doing well.”
Tim:
“Yeah, I know a lot about making money. You should give me some of yours and I will make you a fortune. Will be no need for you to work in this laundromat.”
Tim looked around the laundromat for a moment, and then said:
“By the way Max, do you actually own this place?”
Max:
“Yes. My aunt died without children and left it to me”.
Tim:
“You should sell it and give the money to me to invest for you. Then, if you want, after a year you can have ten laundromats.”
Max:
“Really!” Yes, maybe I will.”
As he began to move toward the door, Tim said:
“I will pick up the shirts after lunch. Oh! I forgot to go to an ATM and get some money. My coffee shop only takes cash. Can you lend me five dollars?”
Max replied while digging into his pocket:
“Of course.”
Max put the shirts inside Fran and pressed the wash button, and then again lent on Fran.
Max:
“You know Fran, I could sell this laundromat but what would happen to you? Maybe I could take you to one of my ten new laundromats. What do you think?”
As the wash began, so did the truth begin to emerge.
Fran:
“Hello shirts. How are you? My name is Fran.”
One of the shirts:
“Please be gentle. I have been washed so many times and I think that some of my buttons are ready to fall off.”
Fran:
“Your owner should ask Max to sew them on properly.”
Shirt:
“I don’t think so. He does not have a job now, and has no money. He was sacked yesterday for telling a customer that she should give him some of her money so that he could invest it for her. She was an old woman and she actually brought hundreds of dollars to the shop to give to him. The reality is that he knows how to ask people for money but not how to work honestly for it. He is now looking for a job. That’s why he wants us shirts to look very good.”
Another shirt:
“And Max should not expect to quickly get back his five dollars.”
Fran:
“Finished. Was really no need for a long wash. There were no stains to wash out, but Tim’s lies remain with you.”
Tim was again in a hurry when he returned to collect the shirts and other washing, and left without giving Max any money.
Tim:
“Hi Max. I need to rush to meet the big bosses.”
Max, leaning on Fran:
“What an exciting life Tim has. He forgot to pay, but I know he will next time!”
When Tim took hold of his shirts he dropped a newspaper that had been folded under his arm. When Max picked it up he saw that part of a story had been underlined with a pen. Below a photo of an older man who had died. Max slowly read the words which said:
“He trimmed and trashed the truth as he learnt to lie in life!