Dad Promises Cash For Every Exam Daughter Aces, Plan Backfires

Mixed Emotions

Molly couldn’t help but feel nervous as she tightly held onto the envelope. She’d been eagerly waiting for it for months. Her friends were also eager for this moment to come. Molly told them that she would go first and slowly opened the envelope. As she read what was written in the letter, she couldn’t believe it. It took her by surprise.

She let out an excited squeal, but her expression changed upon remembering her father.

A Promise He Wishes He Never Made

For as long as she could remember Molly knew she wanted to make her dad, Clive proud. Growing up in a single-parent household was difficult at times, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. She promised to always look after her dad and the home they shared. 

But then came a day when Clive made an interesting promise to Molly. A promise he probably shouldn’t have made.

A Part Of Growing Up

GCSE’s can be a scary experience for anyone who has had to undergo them. It’s a lot of pressure for 15/16-year-olds. So that’s why Clive gave a proposition to his daughter; for every A* she earned, he’d pay the teenager £100. 

However while that pledge started out as a joke, little did Clive know his words would soon backfire.

Dedication To Revision

And so, as Molly’s final year at school flew by, she proved her dedication to getting the best marks she could, by studying several hours every single night. She even dedicated her weekends to revision; topping up her knowledge ahead of the exams. 

 But as clever and knowledgeable Molly may be, not even she could have guessed what would happen next.

The Day She’s Been Waiting For

It’s 6:40 am and Molly checks her phone. Today’s the day she’s finally going to get her results! She lets out a sigh before rushing into the shower. After months and months of waiting around, scrolling social media sites, and rearranging her wardrobe, Molly was excited to finally put her mind at ease.

 But as she walks in her school to collect her results, a feeling of anxiety hits her like a ton of bricks.

Weight Of The World On Her Shoulders

As she waits for her name to be called out Molly can feel her heartbeat in her throat. She wipes the sweat from her forehead and lets out a sigh. “It feels like I’ve got the whole weight of the world on my shoulders,” she thinks to herself. 

But her negative thoughts are soon shattered by the sound of her name being called out. She gets up and makes her way to collect her envelope.

She Couldn’t Believe It

 “No way!” Molly screams out loud. She’s just opened her results envelope and thoroughly gone over it. Incredibly, she passed all 14 subjects with an A* grade, leaving her absolutely stunned! After working so hard, Molly never thought in a million years this would actually happen!

 But then suddenly Molly notices a teacher stood across the room. With a stern look on his face, he makes his way over to Molly. What was his problem?

A New Record

It turned out that the teacher came over to give Molly even more good news. “Your results are the best results the schools ever saw! Well done Molly!” The teacher says smiling at her. The two embrace and Molly smiles to herself. But what about her friends? 

She had completely forgotten to ask them how they did!

The Call

Amazingly, all her friends achieved great results too! Some achieved A’s and a few B’s, while others managed to get a few A*’s, but none of them managed to achieve what Molly did. “I’ll see you tonight at, say around 8?” Molly shouts to her friends who were all making their way back home. “Definitely!” they shout back followed by a giggle.

 Bursting with excitement and pride, Molly steps outside the school. She knew she had to tell the one person who would be proud of her. Her dad.

He Started To Feel Uncertain

“Well done Molly!” Clive yells out down the phone as Molly tells him her results. He’s so proud of his little girl who has been through so much, yet still pulled through and made him proud. But as his not-so-little-girl giggles down the phone, a feeling of uncertainty creeps on Clive.

 The promise he gave his daughter; would she still want it fulfilled? After all, Molly was due to a lovely and generous £1400 from her father.

A Running Joke

Despite the promise he gave Molly, Molly knew that money wasn’t her main focus and motivation to do well in the exams.

 Just like her dad, Molly saw the promise he made as a joke at first, and as time went on and the date of the exam grew closer and closer, the pledge quickly became a running joke in the entire family.

A Strange Envelope

As soon as Molly got home from her results day she walked into the living room to find her dad standing with a massive smile plastered on his face. “Congrats daring,” he says before squeezing her tight. Then suddenly, he pulls away before getting out a blank envelope from his back pocket. 

The father and daughter look at each other and pause. “Go on,” Clive says, “open it.”

Thousands Of Questions

As Molly opens the envelope she can feel her dad’s eyes burning into her as thousands of questions run through her mind. What was inside the envelope? Was it the money? She finds a piece of paper inside the envelope and stops cold when she sees what it is.

It was a blank cheque. Molly looks and her dad and bursts into laughter. It was a joke of course. With the whole family knowing about the promise Clive made, Clive felt this would keep the joke going. But their family wouldn’t be the only ones with an opinion.

Going Viral

Since the results day in August, Molly and Clive’s story got picked up in a local newspaper. The daughter and daughter themselves immediately went viral sparking a lively online debate. 

Some of the comments applauded Molly and her father, while others were incredibly feisty, with users not afraid to state their opinions.

Opinions Of Others

The majority of people claimed that Clive had every right to reward his daughter, with some stating that, “money is an incentive. Just like anything in life – you know you have to work hard if you can see a great goal ahead.” However, these feelings weren’t reciprocated by other users, with one claiming, “parents should motivate through showing their kids what they can achieve for themselves and others.” 

Despite the criticism, little did Clive know he wasn’t the only one rewarding his daughter.

Motivate And Encourage

One user stated that she did the same thing with her daughter; setting out a certain amount for each grade received. This woman also claimed that by doing this, it motivates and encourages the kids. While the debate was still raging on, Molly suddenly felt a feeling of anxiety creep upon her. 

She still didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life.

Plans For The Future

She knew she had always wanted to go to university so Molly intended to stay at school for A-Levels. In fact, she knew exactly what subjects she was hoping to study, but in terms of her career, she had no idea what she wanted. 

Despite his daughter’s uncertainty about her future, Clive was still super proud of his daughter.

Celebrate In Style

To celebrate the momentous occasion that was results day, Molly decided to attend a garden party with her school friends later that evening. After coming home from picking up her results, she had been treated to a delicious Italian meal by her father. A few hours later, with her stomach full of pizza and garlic bread, Molly starts to get ready for the party. 

As she laces up her trainers, Colin calls out his daughter’s name. “Come here quick,” he says.

What Money Can’t Buy

“I’m so proud of you Moll,” Colin says while pouring himself a beer. “You get what you put in at the end of the day and that’s just been proved right today!” he says before smiling at his daughter. “It’s just down to really hard work,” Molly replies. “You’ve always said you get out what you put in, and that’s been proved right today!” she says with a smile.

And so, as Clive watches his daughter hop into a taxi to take her to her results day celebration, he smiles to himself. He may find himself £1,400 down, but the reason why will undeniably soften the blow to his wallet.

Hard Work Really Does Pay Off

Wow, what a story! This tale just goes to show that hard work really does pay off! It’s thanks to Molly and her devoted dad Clive, that have proved that anything can happen! You may find yourself passing exams with flying colors, or in Colin’s case, being £1,400 out of pocket.

 Either way, don’t have any expectations in your life, but just make sure if you do make a promise you can afford to come through!

A Good Idea

Many people think that Clive had the right idea going. It’s’ very hard to convince teenagers to do anything, but they can be agreeable if it’s at the right price. Usually, money or expensive gifts make any job worth doing.

Although Molly does not seem like a materialistic girl, she definitely used the idea as ammunition to fuel her studying.

A Caring Father

She probably knew that her dad was just trying to motivate her and the thought gave her the encouragement she needed. Molly was a bright girl and she thought about the best way to use her money.

She didn’t tell any of her friends about it because she knew what they would want to do. So, she kept quiet, it was her little secret.

Responsible Molly

It was a good feeling knowing that she had a nice amount to do anything she wanted. Most teenage girls would head straight for the mall and spoil themselves with clothes and shoes. But Molly w different.

She was not a spoiled rich girl. She knew that her parents worked very hard for the money they had.

Graduation Party For All

That night while celebrating with her friends she felt truly free. She thoroughly enjoyed their dinner Party. She laughed and ate with her friends as though it was the last time they were going to be together. It sure felt like it. 

Now that they had graduated, they would all go their separate ways. Molly knew that she wanted to study, but she hadn’t decided on where yet.

Back Of Her Mind

She had applied to a few schools but she was still waiting for a response. Her best friend was moving to a town 200 km away. She wouldn’t see her anymore, and she was going to miss her but it was for the best. They had to grow as individuals. 

They had to experience the world from a different perspective. They had been great friends and helped each other through everything, she was really going to miss her.

Graduation End

As the night drew to a close, Molly and her friends ordered one last ice cream sundae to share. Vanessa, Molly’s best friend came to sit next to her “ So did your parents get you anything for graduating with all As?” 

Molly smiled at her friend, she knew her parents were obsessed with her and wouldn’t pass a moment to make her feel special.

A Good Friend

They bought me some lovely clothes and shoes Molly responded. It wasn’t a lie, they did, she just didn’t want to mention her main gift, not just yet.”What about you?  Molly asked in return. Vanessa licked ice cream off her lips and grinned “Guess what they got me? ” “No way said, Molly” 

“Yes, Way!” Vanessa screamed and pulled a small box from her bag. Her parents had bought her the latest iPhone for graduating school so well.

Gifts Galore

Molly was really happy for her friend. Vanessa wasn’t a wealthy girl either. She had normal hard working parents so everything they did for her was much appreciated. The girls ogled over the new cell phone and took cute selfies while trying all the camera filters.

 It was a memorable graduation party. As Molly reached home she thought about whether she should be leaving her hometown.

Big Girl Dreams

Her whole life was here. She loved her friends and her favorite hangout spots. It would be difficult to leave her parents. Unfortunately, there rent a lot of college options for Molly. 

If she wanted to go to an Ivy League college she would have to leave the state and that was something she was not sure of doing, not just yet anyway.

Everyone Else Matters Too

She would have to think long and hard, It wasn’t just about her life, her choice would also affect her parents. They were getting older and they also needed her around. She had a lot of thinking to do.

 As she walked up the stairs she thought about what a great day she had, she was truly blessed. When she entered her room she saw her dad’s gift on her dressing table.  She smiled to herself. She was thinking about what to do with the money and decided to save it. She would open a savings account and start saving all her extra cash. She also had an afterschool job as a dog walker, so she had a bit of extra cash to save.

An Intelligent Choice

Molly walked over to her cupboard to check her savings. She was an old-school type and still kept a piggy bank behind her clothes in the cupboard. She open it up and counted the cash. She had more than $800 saved. The intelligent young lady smiled to herself. She already had more than $2000 dollars to put towards her college fund.

She was so happy with herself. She couldn’t wt to tell her parents the good news. This year was going to be a little easier on them. She was a responsible young lady and was eager to take care of her own self now.

 To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.