Kindness Works Both Ways
When I was 16 I lived out of my car, because I couldn’t get an apartment, because no one would rent to a 16 year old. It was an old beater, and I had to push start it everywhere (it kicked off pretty easy in reverse.)
I had just pulled into walmart to buy some decent clothes (needed more than the parts for my car) and there was a purse in the basket of the cart next to me.
I opened it, and inside the wallet was a thousand in cash, and several credit cards, and an ID. I soo wanted to spend it, and I was going to. Score!
New clothes, and the parts I need. So I grabbed the cash, and put the purse back in the cart. When I was paying for my clothes, I just couldn’t bring myself to pay with her money.
So I paid with mine, and went back to my car. Purse was still there, so I put the money back in, and looked at the address.
It was right down the road, but it took me about an hour to find. I finally get there, park in the street, and the lady is standing in her garage next to her nice new car, in a fancy neighborhood, on the phone, cancelling her credit cards. I walked up, and asked if she had lost her purse.
I was pretty rough looking, and I could tell she was a bit nervous. So I handed it to her, and told her I had to open it to find her address.
She didn’t really say anything, and I got in my car and left. I was disappointed because it seemed she didn’t even appreciate it.
But I went on to where I work (I stayed there in my car most of the time.) The next day before work I woke up, went to McDonald’s to get breakfast.
I got to work, and saw the lady leaving. Then thought, “ahh, that wasn’t her, just coincidence.” When I went inside the parts for my car were there, and $100, and a note saying thanks.
I was confused as hell, (how did she know what parts? how did she know where I worked??) A few days before, I had gone over what I needed for my car, and wrote it down on the back of a pay stub, and the number to the parts house.
Apparently, when I got out at her house, this paper came out of my car. She said in the note, she saw it after I left, and picked it up. After she realized all her money was in her purse, and everything, she went down and picked up the parts, and dropped them off for me.
Easily the nicest thing anyone has ever done. So for about an hour’s drive, I got ~$300 worth of parts, and $100 cash.
The good feeling I had for weeks was worth way more than the $600 more I would have made if I kept the money. Permalink