It was probably Saturday night that I mentioned that I misplaced my calculator, which was worth about $3. I was unable to raise that amount again since the money in my pocket would not be enough for my transportation back home, but I knew I needed to get a calculator ready before my exam.
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On my way to school on Sunday, I stopped by the space of a man who changes calculator batteries. I asked him how much it would cost, and he replied that it wouldn't cost up to a dollar. However, I wasn't happy with the price, as I thought it would be cheaper for the battery to be changed. The man may have been charging more for the service because he was aware of the high demand for his service. He may have been taking advantage of the fact that many people may not know that battery changes can be cheaper elsewhere.
Upon changing the battery, the calculator started working, and I was delighted. Can you believe that after getting to school and preparing for the night class tutorial, I could not turn on the calculator? I was puzzled and frustrated. After a bit of trial and error, I realized that the battery was not the only problem. The power key was bad as well.
After spending money to repair a calculator, it suddenly stopped working, and I was shocked to find that it had been damaged again. When I was sulking and wondering how I would spend another $3 on a calculator, my coursemate walked up to me and asked me what was wrong.
After explaining all of this to her, she instructed me to quickly find one calculator vendor who was still around the school premises, stating that he also repaired calculators. My first thought was whether it was a good idea to fix the calculator again since the similar one whose battery I changed did not work.
I forgot to mention that I had two old calculators that were not working and had to purchase a new battery for one of them, but it ended up getting spoilt again later. As a result, I had to unscrew the calculator, remove the battery, and put it back together in order to get the calculator to work, as the power button was damaged from the inside. That was definitely not the kind of stress I wanted during my exam.
It was obvious I would not be able to use it during my exam, so I handed the other calculator over to the seller who also repairs calculators so he could fix it. He assured me that he would take good care of it and make sure it was working before he returned it to me.
His first step was to open the calculator, observe it and clean and brush the battery panel that had significant traces of rust. He then carefully checked the inside for any broken or loose components. He tested the calculator to make sure it was working fine and packed it up for me before giving it back to me.
After he finished, he reinserted the battery, but still, some keys on the calculator wouldn't work.
After seeing my concern at the prospect of having to spend more on a new calculator, he assured me it would work fine, I just needed to give it a little time to adjust. He helped me troubleshoot the problem and told me to be patient. He was right, after a few minutes the calculator was working perfectly. I was relieved and thanked him for his help.
He narrated how he had the same experience with the previous calculators he worked on. He said he was happy to help me and that he felt satisfied when he was able to solve someone else's problem.
The buttons worked seamlessly as he pressed them one after another after coupling the calculator. He said he was happy to have solved my issue and that he hoped it would help me with my studies. He thanked me for the opportunity to help.
For me, the fact that I was able to avoid an unexpected expense was a great relief. I was grateful for his help, not only because it saved me money, but also because I was able to receive assistance from someone who was willing to take the time to help me. It was a positive experience that made me appreciate the value of helping others.
The best part was that he didn't ask for money after all, he helped me for free. I was truly touched by his act of kindness. It made me realize the importance of being kind and helping others without expecting anything in return. It was a lesson I will never forget.
When have you been saved from an unplanned expense?