Son Steals Father's Car, Gets Taught a Painful Lesson - Story of the Day

A reckless teenager stole his father’s expensive car and ended up crashing it. Not long after, he regretted his actions when his dad taught him a painful lesson.

Tom Olsen and his friends had a rule in their group: Anyone who had recently turned 18 would have to treat everyone to a nice place. And this time, it was Tom’s turn.

Tom wanted to do something different, so he decided to take his friends on a long drive through the mountains, stopping at one of the most well-known cafés along the way to treat them to a delicious supper. Since he had also gotten his driver's license recently, there was nothing to worry about.

So, just like every other excited teenager, Tom went happily to his dad and asked if he could lend his car for one day. To Tom’s surprise, his dad flatly refused him. “No, Tom. I can’t allow that. I’m sorry,” Mr. Olsen told him.

“But dad, it’s a rule in our group! Last time, it was Sam’s turn. He drove us to his dad’s restaurant. If his dad didn’t say anything, why are you so rigid?” Tom asked in a displeased tone.

“Don’t get upset, Tom,” Mr. Olsen calmly said, “I’m worried about your safety. I’m not going to let you drive alone at night.”

“But dad, I have my license. Plus, I’m a teenager now!” Tom retorted.

“Tom, I’m sorry, but no! That won’t work,” Mr. Olsen said firmly.

Tom stood there quietly with a sad expression on his face. He didn’t utter a word.

Mr. Olsen couldn’t bear staring at his son’s sad expression any longer, so he calmly explained, “See, Tom. I can’t let you drive by yourself because it’s too dangerous. But I don’t want you to miss your trip. How about having a dad as your driver? Anyway, I’m free tonight. The trip is tonight, right?”

“Yes, the trip is tonight,” Tom answered in a low voice. “But I am not going.”

“But why? I’m telling you I am free,” Mr. Olsen said.

“Are you serious, dad?!” Tom glared aggressively at Mr. Olsen this time.

“What’s the problem, Tom? Is this the first time I’ll be dropping you somewhere?” Mr. Olsen asked in a firm voice.

“I can’t believe you’re saying this! I am a teenager, dad! You understand that, right? My friends will laugh at me if I do that. So, just keep your stupid ideas to yourself. I’m not going,” Tom snarled.

“But Tom...” Mr. Olsen was about to finish his sentence when Tom yelled at the top of his voice. “Just stop, dad! I’m not going! Don’t you understand?”

Mr. Olsen tried to explain again. “But Tom...listen to me once. I don’t want you to be sad because of me.”

Tom glared at his dad. “I’m sorry, dad, but your emotional tricks won’t work on me. I HATE YOU for this. I really do!” he exclaimed as he dashed upstairs and banged his door shut.

“But Tom, wait...” Mr. Olsen ran after Tom, but there was no point. Tom didn’t open the door.

“I’m sorry, Tom, but this is for your safety,” Mr.Olsen sighed and walked away.

Not long after, Tom's cellphone rang. It was his friend, Sam. “Hey, Tom! What time do you plan to leave your house?” he asked in an excited tone.

“Sorry, Sam. I’m not coming. Dad didn’t allow me to take his car. So, I think we’ll have to cancel the trip,” Tom replied.

“What the hell, Tom?!” Sam said in shock. “Stop being such a bore! If we don’t go on the trip tonight, Alex and his friends will make fun of us. They’ll call us losers, Tom. The whole year! Can you bear that?”

“But Sam, I don’t have any other option,” Tom answered. “It’s not like I can take the car without...”

“Take the car without? What do you mean, Tom?” Sam asked, confused.

“Don’t worry, Sam. I will manage. Be ready at 10 p.m. sharp. See you!” Tom said and disconnected the call.

Tom came up with a plan. He decided to steal his dad’s car and return from the trip early in the morning before his father woke up. That way, he wouldn't miss the trip, and his dad wouldn't get to know anything either.

So, after his dad went to sleep that day, he went to his dad’s study room, took the car keys, and quietly exited from the back door so that nobody noticed him.

At around 10:15 p.m., he arrived at Sam’s house. “Oh, man! You’re 15 minutes late. I was scared you wouldn’t come,” Sam told Tom, almost terrified.

“Don’t be such a bore, Sam,” Tom said, mimicking Sam’s tone over the phone. “There’s no way I’m allowing us to be labeled losers. Get in, fast.”

Sam quickly got in Tom’s car, and they left. “But how did your dad allow you suddenly?” he asked Tom.

“He didn’t allow me. I took it without his permission.”

“What?” Sam asked, his eyes wide open now. “Dude, if your dad finds out, we’re dead!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll return before my dad wakes up. He won’t know.” Tom replied.

Sam grinned. “Woah, Tom, I wasn’t expecting this from you.”

Tom laughed. “Well, now you can!”

At this point, Tom and Sam were so engrossed in their conversation that Tom forgot to switch on the signal light before taking a turn. The car coming from the opposite direction failed to notice them, and the vehicles collided.

“Are you okay, Sam?” Tom asked Sam as he lifted his head after the crash.

Sam had a minor scratch on his forehead. “Yeah, I’m fine, Tom. Are you okay?” he asked Tom.

“Yeah, I'm fine. But Sam, you're hurt.”

“No, no, I’m fine. It doesn't hurt, so I'm guessing it's not serious.” Sam replied.

Suddenly, they both looked at each other. “But wait, the CAR!” they cried in unison and got down immediately. Unfortunately, the fender was bent, and the hood of the car was damaged too. To make matters worse, the opposite party had also incurred similar damages.

“Hey, kiddos. If you don’t know how to drive, why did you bring the car?” The man from the car in front of them yelled.

Both Tom and Sam got scared. They stood silently without saying anything. “Why aren’t you saying anything? What are your names, uh?” the man yelled at them again.

“Sa...Sa...Sam,” Sam finally gathered courage and said.

The man then looked at Tom. “And you?”

“I’m Tom. Tom Olsen,” Tom answered in a low voice.

“Give me your parents' numbers. And just stand there quietly, both of you.” the man told the boys angrily.

Sam and Tom were terrified. They knew they couldn’t run away, so they had no option but to give their parents' contact numbers. The man immediately called their parents.

Within the next ten minutes, Tom’s dad arrived but he wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by two policemen.

As soon as Tom saw the officers, he got scared. “Dad, I’m sorry, please don’t hand me over to the police. I won’t do it again, I promise,” he begged his dad.

“I didn’t expect this from you, Tom!” Mr. Olsen almost yelled at him. “I told you so many times that I would drive you, but you were so adamant. I can't believe you stole the car! You will get punished. There’s no option.”

“But dad...” Tom was about to finish his sentence when Mr.Olsen interrupted.

“No, Tom. I’m not going to listen to you.”

At this point, Tom knew there was no point in arguing. He stood quietly with his head bowed down. “Ok, dad. I will agree to whatever you say.”

“You don’t have any other option, Tom,” Mr. Olsen replied firmly. “However, the officers are not here to arrest you. They just need to file a report about the accident.”

Tom immediately looked up at his dad. “Really, dad? You’re not sending me to jail? Thank you.”

“Don’t get excited, Tom,” Mr. Olsen replied. “Your punishment is that you won’t be able to hang out with your friends for a month. Also, you’ll assist at the repair shop in getting the car mended. Consider this a part-time job, where your first salary will be used for the car repair.”

“But Dad, that’s too much!” Tom retorted.

“You know the officers are here. How about going to jail, instead?” Mr. Olsen quickly intervened.

“No, no, dad. I’ll do it,” Tom replied immediately.

“Good,” Mr.Olsen said and turned to Sam. “He’s not alone in the punishment, Sam. That goes for you too. I've talked to your dad and he's on the way. He agrees with me.”

In the end, Tom and Sam regretted their actions and ended up working at the repair shop for a month.

What can we learn from this story?

• Stealing is not justified in any case. Tom was wrong to steal his dad’s car, so he was punished for that.
• Sometimes, when our parents stop us from doing something, it’s for our benefit. If Tom had listened to his dad, the accident wouldn’t have happened.

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