The moment I accidentally broke the fancy coffee machine at work, HR wasted no time informing me that $250 would be deducted from my salary for repairs. Their tone was firm, stressing the importance of responsibility in the workplace. I nodded, trying not to let the sting show. Instead of arguing, I went home wondering how I could handle the situation differently. By the next morning, I had a quiet idea forming.
I arrived early, before anyone else, armed only with repair tutorials I had watched the night before. Carefully opening the machine, I discovered the problem was far less dramatic than everyone assumed—a loose part that simply needed adjusting. With steady hands and a bit of patience, the machine whirred back to life. I cleaned up every trace of my work and left it looking untouched.
