Telling a White Lie

Ethan and Jack were as different as night and day. Ethan, the older of the two, was responsible, diligent and honest. Jack, on the other hand, was mischievous, carefree, and lazy. He also had a fondness for computer games.

One day, the boys’ mother came home to find that the chores were not done. The siblings took turns to do the chores in the house, which included washing the dishes, and sweeping and mopping the floor. This week was Jack’s turn to sweep the floor, and the strands of hair strewn across the porcelain-white floor gave it all away.

“Why haven’t the chores been done?” his mother questioned. Jack’s face turned pale. Ethan knew that Jack had been playing computer games the entire afternoon. He had reminded Jack to do the chores before their mother came home, but his words had fallen on deaf ears.

Ethan’s heart sank. He knew how much trouble Jack would be in if their mother found out that he had neglected his responsibilities. “Jack was doing his homework and forgot to sweep the floor,” Ethan blurted out. Their mother looked at the two and sighed. “I see. That’s alright,” she replied. “But remember that it’s your responsibility, regardless.” Ethan heaved a sigh of relief, glad that the ordeal was over.

Days turned into weeks, and the secret remained concealed. However, all secrets have a way of unveiling themselves. One evening, their mother returned home earlier than usual and discovered Jack deeply engrossed in a computer game with the chores undone.

A sense of guilt washed over Ethan as he witnessed the disappointment etched on his mother’s face. He realised that although he had wanted to protect his brother and had lied with good intentions, he had shielded his brother from accountability and prevented him from learning an important lesson.

With a heavy heart, Ethan decided to come clean about his white lie and apologised for his actions. His mother, although upset, understood the love and protectiveness behind Ethan’s actions. Both brothers learnt important lessons that day about the value of honesty and responsibility.

“Betty! Over here!” Sarah’s voice rang out with excitement when she spotted me across the road. “Sarah!” I replied with a quick wave, matching her enthusiasm. Today was a special day for Sarah. Our close group of friends had planned a surprise birthday party for her at a cafe in town. We had made a reservation weeks in advance, and our friends had met up earlier this morning to prepare for the surprise.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I tapped on the screen to see a message from our group of friends. There had been an issue with the preparations. “Betty, we have a problem,” the message read. “The decorations have not arrived, and the cake is delayed. We need more time to set up the surprise. Can you delay Sarah for a bit?”

I knew that I had to find a way to delay Sarah without arousing suspicion. Weighing the different options in my head, I decided that the best approach was to tell a white lie. “Sarah, I heard that there is a great clothing store in town,” I started. “Shall we check it out?”

Sarah glanced at her watch. “Sure. But don’t we have a lunch reservation at 12pm?” she asked. I quickly assured Sarah that it would be alright and brushed over the topic, pulling her along as I scanned the streets. We ducked into the first clothing store I saw.

I watched anxiously as Sarah came out of the fitting room for the third time with the clothes that I had piled on her. “Hey, Betty. Aren’t we late?” she asked. I struggled for something to say when my phone lit up again. The preparations were complete. “We sure are,” I replied. “Let’s go!”

The surprise was perfect. The place was beautifully decorated with balloons and streamers. A stunning cake took centre stage. Sarah’s jaws fell to the ground when she saw our group of friends gathered at the cafe. “Happy birthday!” everyone shouted in unison, before breaking into a birthday song.

Amidst the laughter and celebrations, I approached Sarah with a mixture of relief and guilt. I confessed about my white lie and apologised for the deception. Sarah’s eyes grew wide before breaking into a huge smile. “It’s okay, I understand why you did it,” she replied. “Thank you for planning this surprise for me!”

As we continued to revel in the celebration, I understood that while it is important to be honest, there may be circumstances where a well-intentioned white lie can be forgiven and even cherished.