“Yes, that’s right.”

I couldn’t keep up with this unexpected development.

“But how can she afford the trip? She doesn’t have any money. I’ve even been holding back on going shopping or to the arcade.”

“Actually, she won it in a sweepstakes. Freda has always been lucky with these things.”

She had won a trip through a sweepstakes. I had no idea that had happened. Surprised, I decided to accept that explanation for the time being.

The next day, while I was at work, I got an unexpected call from a credit card company I don’t usually use. They informed me that there had been high charges recorded over the past three days. I had no memory of making such transactions.

Nervous, I asked about the amount, and customer support said $10,000 had been spent over three days.

I immediately guessed who the culprit was. It had to be my sister, enjoying her vacation in Hawaii. Though she had won the hotel stay and flight tickets, she needed her own funds for souvenirs and other expenses.

Determined to uncover the truth, I contacted my sister Freda.

“What are you doing? Explain yourself.”

“Oh, I’m surprised you called, sis. I thought you were expecting souvenirs.”

“Cut the jokes. You’ve been using my credit card without permission, haven’t you?”

“Did you notice? It was an oversight,” she replied nonchalantly.

My anger surged. At the same time, I regretted not realizing sooner that someone had entered my room.

“What are you thinking? Using someone else’s credit card fraudulently is a crime.”

“It might be a problem if it were someone else’s, but it’s different among family members. Sylvia, you really should study more.”

“How could you spend $10,000 in three days? It’s impossible to spend such a large amount of money in such a short time.”

“On this free trip to Hawaii, excluding the airfare and accommodation, I had to pay for all tourist activities, shopping, and dining. I added luxury restaurants, shopping for branded goods, and transportation. Before I knew it, the expenses had exceeded $10,000.”

“Exceeding $110,000 isn’t excusable. What were you thinking?”

“Why are you so angry? I used the card because it was about to expire. That’s why, sis. I’ll leave the payment to you,” she said cheerfully before hanging up.

This incident was so sudden that I was left speechless. After that, she kept contacting me, but I decided not to respond at all. Eventually, she left a message on my answering machine.

“Ah, it seems I’ve gone and done it. I’m truly foolish.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

In the evening, when I returned home, my parents hurried to greet me.

“Welcome back. How can you act so nonchalantly? Freda is in a tough situation. Why did you stop the card? She’s in trouble.”

“So what? My card was misused, so of course I stopped it,” I replied.

The moment I received a call from the card company and noticed transactions I did not recognize, I immediately stopped the card. As a result, my sister, who was unaware and tried to use the card, panicked and vented her anger at me. Since I consistently avoided responding, it seems she eventually sought help from our parents.

“Your sister is in trouble abroad, and you’re not going to do anything?”

“Are you still saying that? Just because we’re family, it doesn’t mean it’s okay to casually use someone’s card to spend $10,000.”

“I don’t think you should be indifferent to that. How cold can you be? It’s because of that attitude you never get to go on trips. She intended to buy souvenirs for us with the card. What’s the problem with that?”

“You’re both unbelievable. How can you come to such a conclusion? You shouldn’t be sleep-talking in daytime. Can’t you think normally?”

“She is thinking of us and trying to have fun. Can’t you be more thoughtful?”

“Thoughtful? Can you still say that after hearing this message?”

At that moment, I pulled out my smartphone and played the message left on the answering machine by my sister.

“Make the card usable, you miser. Our parents’ cards are already maxed out and can’t be used for payments. Being so stingy about giving me pocket money for a trip, how useless can they be?”

After hearing my sister’s angry voice on the answering machine, my parents’ anger quickly faded, and they hurried to their room to check the status of their cards.

A few minutes later, I heard my parents screaming in panic. When I went to see them, their faces were red with intense anger.

“I can’t believe Freda used my card without permission after all the nice things I’ve done for her. She even took the bank book and cards. I’m shocked by such betrayal.”