New Carpeting for my Mother

500 Words


Prompt: You are accused of a crime and argue your case to the judge and jury.


Your honor, I've been brought here because I've been accused of a crime; the crime was doing fraud. I know that what I've done was against the rules, but I wanted to help my mother get a new carpet for her mobile home. I couldn't afford to do this, but my income wasn't enough to help her out. I decided that by saving ten dollars per month, I could save enough to get her some new carpeting. When I saved until I could make this happen, I phoned a business that would rip up the old carpeting, measure how much I needed, and how much it would cost to have it installed. I found that I had enough money saved up to have it done. I remember how happy I was to have new carpeting put in for her.

I made the appointment to have it done. When the day finally came, I was thrilled. I chose a salmon-colored carpet. Once it was installed, I marveled at how nice it looked. My mother was very happy. I saw her eyes brighten up with delight; the smile on her face was priceless. It took me a long time to save up enough money. but the result was worth it.

Your honor, when the law says you cannot do something because you lack the funds to do so, the restrictions are a bit tense; they threaten you with a big fine or doing time in jail. I can't see, for the life of me, consider this to be a crime. My mother's happiness meant the world to me. This is what mattered most.

My mother was a senior citizen who was on a low income. She was drawing on Social Security Income (SSI); she was also able to get medical coupons.

Your honor, I lied on the form, yes, that was wrong, but I didn't steal. I realize that a lot of people would be upset and mad about this, but I would like for you to think about this; a little leniency wouldn't hurt. If you step back and put yourself into my shoes, and you were on a limited income, and your child or wife needed help to beautify your place and did this for you, wouldn't you be happy? I'm sure that you would. It would be for the betterment of your home, and for that, you would be so grateful.

If the members of the jury could open their eyes, and exercise some compassion, you could see how much I could do for her, and that wasn't much. I thought about this real hard; her former carpet was dark, ugly-looking green; it was very depressing.

If out of the goodness of your heart that this is a crime, I feel sad for you; I could only do the best I could with what I've got. Generosity goes a long way; it feels good to be generous and helpful. The benefits far outweigh the crime.


Written by Anna Marie Carlson
Saturday, July 24, 2021