Аннотация: The case in the bank. The story (from the series "Social tricks of our time").
The case in the bank. The story (from the series "Social tricks of our time").
There was a period in the life of Sergei Sergeyevich when he was engaged in highly paid activities.
This activity was not so much highly paid. It was just a big wages - more than the "usual" salaries. By itself, this level of income allowed you to buy something unnecessary, but this level did not lead to real financial independence.
(And what level of income provides a financial independence in a modern real conditions? - No one level).
The activity was rather harmful to life and health - a lot of work, a lot of labour, a lot of involvement in other people's conflicts.
The level of income gave situational independence. The money were spending for purchases, for resolving of current problems.
However, a situational independence is also a thing that not to everyone may to like. Why get involved in other people's problems, in other people's conflicts?
Clients - large organizations - they paid wages not in cash, but transferred to a current account in one of the banks.
In those days, bank customers were more or less calm. There were banking traditions, there was an inertia of official bank discipline, an old cadres were preserved ...
However, new times have already begun. Although - as yet - and without theft of money from bank cards, from bank deposits or from a bank safe deposit boxes.
Sergei Sergeyevich walked along the central street of the city to the bank office where the account was opened. He knew another portion of his salary arrived, already.
On the way to the bank office he was to cross several streets. In the depths of one of the perpendicular streets, Sergey Sergeevich saw a tripod with some kind of device resembling a theodolite, and a person looking through an eye-piece. A person was looking at people passing by. One of these passing by people was Sergei Sergeyevich.
Some work on the street is not an uncommon thing. Sergei Sergeyevich continued his way to the bank.
In the bank's premises, customers were approaching several windows where bank employees sat. First it's necessary to be in a queue to sign a documents concerning a cash operation and then go to another window to get an amount approximately equal to the three salaries of a seller's in a store (more? less?).
Clients saw windows and bank employees in front of them. But in the service part of the premises there was a circulation, a movement. Some bank employees were distracting by something. They were moving from place to place. The documents in front of some employees were transferring to other employees.
Sergei Sergeyevich handed over the personal bank book (where records of operations and balances on the deposit were made) to the desired window. It was supposed to fill out an application, sign the receipt of money, and to expect a jetton (token). With the token it was necessary to go up to another window, present, transfer the token, and get a bank book with the amount of money (between pages).
On the official, service part of of the premises, the movement continued.
Everything that was required of Sergei Sergeyevich, he did - he even signed on about receiving money. It is left to get a token and go to another window to become there in the queue and get money.
But there was no resolving of the situation with the jetton (token).
Suddenly Sergei Sergeyevich heard a loud heart-rending cry:
- What for Sergei Sergeyevich ??? !!!
In the middle of the bank premises - in the part reserved for customers - stood a woman and waved by raised hand. There was a bank book in her hand, and banknotes in the book..
Gradually, Sergei Sergeyevich began to realize that this woman had in her hand his bank book and his salary.
Then a few seconds of surprise came.
In the naive opinion of Sergei Sergeyevich, the discovery of a banking error should have led to a slight panic.
All bank employees jump from their seats! Several people run up to the woman with an explanation! Someone comes up to Sergei Sergeyevich to apologize and promise that now, in a few seconds, the error will be fixed!
But nothing like that!
A woman stood in the middle of the bank, screaming, shaking a bank book above her head (and banknotes in the bank book), and none of the bank employees seemed to just notice this ...
Sergei Sergeyevich realized that he needed to connect to the situation.
He went up to the woman and explained to her that his name - Sergei Sergeyevich, that in her hands was his bank book and his salary.
He led her to the window where the money was given out, to clarify the situation.
It turned out that the staff had mixed up something. Sergei Sergeyevich's documents were handed over to the bank teller, and the cashier gave those money and bank book to the wrong person.
A woman's bank book and the amount due to her were found. In appearance, a woman could be a store saleswoman. She became (a few minutes, only) the owner of an amount three times her salary.
With a languid and sour look, the bank cashier made some movements. In the hands of Sergei Sergeyevich was his bank book and his money, and in the hands of a woman was her book and her money.
In the most unfavorable option (for Sergei Sergeyevich), a woman could use both him and her money. She, quite possibly, a very busy person, did not look into the book, did not see someone else's name, did not count the money. Just started to spend them. Then, due to fatigue, she forgot about her trip to the bank and went there again - what if her book and her money would have been waiting for her there ...
Bank - he disposes, he has the customers receipts about a receiving money.
There were, of course, other options.
If Sergei Sergeyevich was handed the bank book of woman with her money - should he have taken them?
There was a real chance to deal not with other people's problems and conflicts, but with his own.
Sergei Sergeyevich went out into the street. It was a strange feeling in his head. There was a sensation as if before a loss of consciousness.
Sergei Sergeyevich entered public transport. Someone looked at him intently. Hypnotizing? He had to close himself with a newspaper ...
After a while, Sergei Sergeyevich came to his senses and thought that the situation could be described in a story. But he was busy with other - troublesome and not very well paid - business ...
But over time, a creative mood came.
April 5, 2020 20:52
Translation from Russian into English: April 5, 2020 05:56.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Случай в банке. Рассказ (из серии 'Социальные трюки нашего времени')'.