The Other Side of the Coin
Copyright© 2023 by The Story Teller
Chapter 1
“I’m sorry sir, but there seems to be problem with the processing of this credit card. Would you have another one?”
It was truly an embarrassing moment for Nick James, rich playboy and flamboyant dealer in rare coins. He was dining with a beautiful, blonde at Ruth’s Steak House. One of the most expensive restaurants in Edmonton, it was on the corner of Jasper Avenue and 100th Street. He shifted his attention from his date to the waiter who stood at his side with the rejected card in his hand.
“Sorry about that. There must be some snafu with the bank,” Nick explained. He retrieved the piece of plastic, searched through his wallet, and handed the waiter another one.
He and his date were preparing to leave when the waiter came hurrying back to their table, a worried look on his face. The couple had spent almost $200 on steak and wine, and since the second credit card had also been rejected, he was worried they wouldn’t be able to pay the bill. He was hoping it was a simple mistake, and not a dine and dash scheme.
“Sir if I were you I’d talk to your bank as soon as possible because this card has also been rejected. Is there any other way you can pay your bill?”
“What?” Nick looked like he was ready to explode, as he made a grab for the maxed out card, but the waiter refused to relinquish it. By this time, he had a sneaking suspicion that his customer might be trying to pull a fast one on him, and he wanted to keep the offending card in his possession so he could turn it over to the police as proof of fraud.
It became a silent battle of wills. Nick had one end of the plastic, and the waiter kept a tight grip on the other end, neither was prepared to surrender his portion.
Nick finally relented, smiled disarmingly, and allowed the waiter to keep the card. He dug in his wallet again and produced a third credit card. “Try this one. It’s Bank of America Gold, so I’m positive you won’t have any trouble with it.”
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