The Moral Dilemma

"What is this?" she said to herself as she looked again at the bank balance. "This can't be right!"

Scrolling down the list of items on her checking account, there is was. A deposit for $4816.20. That seems like way too much money for her husband's company to pay him. It wasn't there standard deposit they were used to seeing and why would it show up a day before he got paid anyway. The column next to the amount still was flagged as "processing," but the available amount in their account was including this weird deposit.

Picking up the house phone that sat on the desk next to her computer, she dialed the number of her husband's cell phone. She knew he was out on a job site meeting with contractors but hoped he just might pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe, I know you're still working, but have you checked our bank balance lately?"

"Why? Is it that bad?" he asked.

"No it is actually pretty good if you ask me. It seems like your getting back $4816.20 this week!"

"What? That can't be right! Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Next to the deposit amount is the name of your company but it doesn't say direct deposit. Why is the check amount so high? Is there something you're not telling me? An unexpected bonus? Are they laying you off and this is your final check?"

Laughing he said, "No it's none of those that I can think of. Let me finish up here and make some calls and I'll check on it and call you back.

"Okay! Call me when you're on your way home then. Love you."

"Love you too!"

Now that was odd, she thought as she stared out the window. What reason could there be for a deposit like that showing up? All kinds of thoughts began to run through her head. Perhaps they are paying him out for all his accrued vacation time! No, wait, he doesn't have that many hours. Besides that would really put a damper on the plans they had for the coming days off he had planned to take off.

Perhaps it is a raise. He just finished up a year with the company. Maybe they realized that they were under paying him considerably and raise his salary. Wouldn't that be nice? It would certainly solve quite a few of the bills that were lingering around and perhaps now, they might be able to move out of the questionable area they were living in where crime is constantly on the rise.

All she knew inside her heart, was something was not right. No matter how she tried to justify it the money wasn't theirs to keep.

Then she started thinking.

What would anyone else do in a similar situation?  What if they weren't believers? Would they seriously keep the money or would they come clean and make some calls. What if all of this is a weird ethical test of some kind?

What would you do?