The Wallet

         Grady sat down on the bench.  This might be the worst day of his life so far and there had been some tough ones.  Going to Community College and working was turning out to be a tough road.  But going to school and not working ~~ It wasn’t his fault that he lost his job.  But now what was he supposed to do?  Drop out another semester and try again?  Giving up was not an option.  But right now he didn’t even have eating money.  He deposited his pay check each week in his account for school, and ate at the restaurant where he worked.

         Thinking about a bowl of soup from the now-bankrupt restaurant where he had worked until yesterday made his stomach growl.  Don’t think about food.  He turned to look at the woman at the other end of the bench.  She was rummaging in her purse for her bus pass.  She got up to stand by the curb, and that was when Grady saw her wallet on the bench.  He picked it up and saw the edges of a lot of bills inside.  Even if they were all singles ~~ was this his lucky day? 

         No.  He might be hungry and out of work. But that didn’t change it.  He called out, “Ma’am!  You dropped your wallet!”

         She took it and thanked him.  She quickly removed a handful of bills and handed them to him.  “You are an honest boy! God bless you!” and before he could protest, she got on her bus and was gone.  He looked at the bills in his hand.  His empty stomach reminded him it was chow time.  Somehow, though, the old lady’s blessing meant even more.