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Dilemma (tho' not by definition)

I have a $200 ethical problem. I will probably end up Doing the Right Thing, but until I do, I have this ethical problem.

Once upon a time, in October 2005, I did a small translation job for a client with whom I have worked on rare occasions over the past 15 years. I invoiced the job (it was a little over $200) and then … nothing. Recalling that these folks tend to pay slowly but eventually, I didn't worry about it.

Time passed. I emailed the project manager a few times and … nothing. I eventually started calling and getting the "no record of that job, resubmit the invoice" runaround. By April 2006, I was annoyed and made more phone calls and eventually got through to the owner of the company. By accident, I expect. She apologized and cut me a check that day.

So, I received the payment nearly seven months after delivery. I haven't heard from them since, which is fine by me. I'm not inclined to accept work from them and they never were a significant source of my income.

Fast forward to today, when I received another check from that same company for that October 2005 job.

Yes, they are that disorganized. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I have this check, for a job I've already been paid for (really, really, really late, and they didn't pay a late fee or anything), from a company who apparently has no record of having paid me the first time.

The right thing to do is to void the check and send it back with a note explaining that they already paid me (really, really, really late) last April.

The wrong thing to do is to deposit the check.

There is no sliding scale of right to wrong here, but consider the nature of $200. It's not a lot of money, but it's not a little either. If it were $50, it would be easy to do the right thing. If it were $1000, it would feel like stealing if I kept it.

But $200 is enough to want to keep. And they obviously don't miss it. $200 plus a bit will pay my monthly health insurance premium. $200 will pay a winter gas bill. $200 I could put towards my new roof.

I'm so tempted to keep it.