A Puzzle Arises from A Single Phone Call
Nadia was sitting on the balcony enjoying her iced tea. It was terribly hot and humid. She had donned a sleeves shirt and shorts to try to keep cool. She had even opened the big French windows to let the air in but still she felt hot. She knew that the best way to beat the heat was to open the air conditioning unit. She did not want to do that. If she did, the cold would make her too comfortable and soon the bed would beacon her. The result would be catastrophic. She would not get any reading done and so would come to class unprepared. Suddenly she heard the phone ringing. She stood up and made her way to the study. As she picked up the phone, the caller said: “Hello. As I was sayin’ do i claim unemployment on my taxes? Is there unemployment benefits tax exemption?” Nadia then answered, “Hi! I know you have the wrong number. This is a residential home and I cannot assist you in any way.” The caller immediately replied, “Oh! I will dial the number again. Sorry!” As Nadia placed the receiver on the phone unit her mind pondered on the question of the caller. Does that mean that one can be exempted from paying government taxes for the months in a year that one is unemployed? Wow! Major savings! Nadia thought of the possibilities on how she can fall within that category and so partake of such a benefit especially now that she is unemployed. She resigned from her job when her father offered to support her through her studies. Her mind became preoccupied with the questions. She did not notice that time has passed until the alarm started ringing. She then realized that in an hour her classes would start and she had not finished her readings. Now she will come to class unprepared.
