Over The Top: The Con

Once I complained to Dad about it. He thought Spike was doing nothing
wrong.

"Free enterprise" he said, "If you kids are gullible enough to work for
peanuts, its your own fault if you get paid peanuts."

"I've never done it."

"I meant the other kids."

"But Spike's making too much profit!"

"Nothing wrong with that?" dad said, "You kids are letting him."

"But it's not fair!"

"Yes it is. Look, if these gullible kids said to Spike "We're not taking
your ten cents" or whatever he's offering, Spike would have to up the
amount." Dad paused. "I'll tell you when its not fair - when he starts
picking on people who don't know any better, like intellectually
handicapped people, or old people."

As usual, Dad was right.

But soon after that, Spike started picking on the worst kind of people. I
think it started when our teacher was talking about a newspaper clipping
she'd brought along. Something about a pensioner, who'd sold off some
furniture to a stranger, to raise a few bob. The stranger then took it to
an antique dealer. It turned out that the furniture was really rare, and
worth a mint!

Spike was listening realty hard when the teacher got to the bit about the
mint. I could just about see him thinking.

A few days later, I was hiking down the road when I saw Spike pushing a
lawn-mower. That probably doesn't sound like the most stunning bit of
news, but the thing is, Spike was lazy. You'd be lucky if you saw him
walking anywhere. He always biked, or got a lift from someone. But there
he was, walking around a lawn, with a shiny new-looking mower chugging
away in front of him.

He waved to me so I pulled over.

"Gidday!" I said, "Got a job?"

"Yeah" said Spike, wiping the tiny perspiration from his face with the
back of his arm, "Two lawns."

"Good pay?"