The Scrounger

Actually the title of this post should have been “The well off scrounger”.  Even though it is a good Oxymoron I  somehow felt that it would give the plot away.

My perception of a scrounger has always been of someone who is not so well off having to borrow stuff from other people. Stuff he has no intention of returning. But the person I am writing about is completely opposite of this description. He is young, a professional who has a good career with great prospects and is definitely more than well off. In fact he can be categorized as rich. Even though he is a man of means this guy never pays. For instance if someone is hosting a group of friends for drinks or tea he would order a pack of cigarettes saying that he would pay later and conveniently forget about it. It is the same when it comes to going on outings with friends. He will say he will pay his share on a lter day and conveniently forget about it. Even when reminded after many months he will quite thickly say I will pay later.

This gentleman belongs to a profession where there are lots of fees which have to be paid to others and I was told whenever he pays his dues he always keeps a small portion of the money back. For instance if he has to pay 10,700/- he will pay the 10,000 but never the 700.

It is the same if  he sees a pack of cigarettes. He will help himself to it till it is over. Without even thinking about the owner of the pack. The best thing is he does not smoke. At least when he has to buy his own.

These are not one off random events which I am writing about but something I have observed over a span of nearly ten years. What is happening as a result of this is that people are slowly but surely moving him out of their circles. Guess that is understandable. What is most interesting is apparently that his mom is just like him at least when it comes to paying back her fees. 

It was only when I heard this tit bit of information I realized that scrounging too is hereditary.