Neil liked the freedom that came with his first summer job. He worked at Mitchell's Farm where people could come and pick the corm, berries and tomatoes out in the fields themselves. Then they'd bring their produce to checkout stand, where Neil would weigh it and charge the appropriate price. Mr and Mrs. Mitchell were usually busy somewhere else, so Neil was trusted to manage the stand by himself.
For the most part, Neil obeyed the Mitchell's rules. When someone asked for a discount or a sample, Neil said no. But he did sometimes change the rules for friends, much to their delight.
"Go ahead, taste a few berries before I weigh, "he'd say when it was someone he knew. It was against the rules to eat something before you bought it, but everyone wanted to.
One day, a man came to stand with a basket of com he had picked. Neil weighed the ears of com and told the man how much it cost. The man looked confused.
"But I was here yesterday, and you told someone that for every five ears you buy, you get one free, " he said.
Neil had it in his memory. He had indeed offered that deal to the Thomases, who happened to be his neighbors. Now he felt sad about it. He saw Mrs Mitchell working close by. How was Neil going to explain that he had given a deal to those he knew while he made everyone else pay full price?
Neil thought about offering the man the same discount, but there were people in line behind him, and they were carrying corm, too. Neil hung his head and walked over to see Mrs. Mitchel.
