Charles Whitcomb was famous for one thing: his stinginess. His friends said he was careful. His coworkers said he was “very good with budgets.” But most people simply said the truth—Charles was cheap.
He reused the same teabag until it looked like wet paper. He cut two‑ply toilet paper into single sheets to make it last longer. He unplugged his fridge every night because he believed cold air “stays inside.” When the city offered recycling bins for £5, Charles refused. Instead, he put old newspapers under his mattress, saying they kept his back straight.
Saving money made him feel clever. It didn’t bother him that people avoided going out with him. His sister didn’t let him babysit anymore after he gave her children out‑of‑date yoghurt and called it “a lesson about wasting food”.
One rainy Thursday, Charles walked home with his old umbrella, which only had half its ribs left. On a lamppost he saw a handwritten sign:
COMMUNITY COOKING CLASS – Free Samples! All welcome!
The word “free” made his heart beat faster. Free food… maybe free leftovers… paradise.
Inside the community hall, people sat at long tables. A cheerful woman named Miriam taught everyone how to cook cheap and healthy meals. The warm room smelt of spices, vegetables, and fresh bread. Charles sat in the front row, notebook ready, like a soldier on a money‑saving mission.
During the class, Miriam passed around small samples. Charles took one… then another… then, pretending to adjust his coat, a third. He slipped that one into his pocket for later. It squished a little, but he didn’t mind. It was free.
At the end, Miriam announced a raffle.
“The prize is one month of free vegetables from the community garden!”
Charles almost shouted with joy. Free vegetables for a whole month meant almost no money spent on groceries.
The raffle was “donation only”. Miriam said people could give £2… or more… or nothing at all. Charles quietly chose the final option. He took a ticket without putting in a single coin.
Miriam pulled a ticket from the box. “The winner is… number 47!”
Charles jumped up, waving his ticket. “That’s me!”
But a quiet voice said, “I… I think it might be mine.”
A thin woman in an old coat held her ticket carefully. Miriam checked. “Yes, she’s the winner!”
Charles looked again. He had read his ticket upside down. It was 74.
Everyone in the room giggled. Someone whispered loudly, “Typical Charles—trying to win for free.” More people laughed.
His face burnt. He sat down, trying to look invisible, but things got worse.
Miriam said warmly, “Let’s congratulate our winner… And thank Charles, who took three extra samples!”
Everyone turned. A child pointed and shouted, “Mum! He’s got food leaking out of his pocket!”
The tart in his pocket had melted into a greasy mess, leaving a big stain. People burst into laughter.
Charles wanted to disappear.
On his way out, embarrassed and sticky, he finally put £10 into the donation box. But as he turned to leave, he stepped on a vegetable peel, slipped, and fell straight into a large recycling bin full of cardboard. The door slammed behind him.
Everyone gasped—then laughed harder than ever.
It was, they agreed, the first time Charles had ever *given* anything to the community—and the first time he had been recycled.
📒 Key vocabulary
- stinginess – reluctance to spend money
- two‑ply – two layers of paper
- unplugged (unplug, unplugged, unplugged) – take out of an electricity socket
- mattress – the soft part of a bed you sleep on
- leftovers – food that is left from a previous meal
- cheerful – happy and friendly
- samples – small amounts of food to taste
- raffle – a game where you buy a ticket and might win a prize
- groceries – food and other essential items people buy
- donation – money given to charity or a good cause
- giggled (giggle, giggled, giggled) – laugh quietly to oneself
- leaking – escaping from a container
- melted (melt, melted, melted) – turn from solid to liquid due to heat
🤔 Comprehension quiz
How much of this story did you understand? Test yourself with this easyEnglish quiz!
Leave a Reply