Lost Wallet

Everyone talks about Karma, but mostly in a way that precedes that bad things happen to bad people. They never talk about Karma in the sense that it works both ways. I want to tell you a short story about how it really does work.

In 2001, my family and I were in dire straits financially, and something drastic had to be done, so I took a job in a small town that I was familiar with, and it looked like we would barely be able to make it there, given our financial situation. $300 dollars in pocket, we decided to get groceries for the trip, and try $10 gambling at the local casino. So, we go to the grocery store and get the things we'll need for the trip: bread, sandwich meat, chips, some water, and juice boxes for the kids. We have a very pleasant conversation with the clerk and even make a few jokes about our poor state of affairs, to which the clerk and manager were very sympathetic to our future endeavors and wished us well on our way out the door.

We were so wrapped up in our conversation that we'd had, that I had barely even noticed a wallet laying on the path right in front of us. It was old. Beat up, Well used. And full of cash! I looked around. No one else was in the parking lot, no one even close. Now, at this time, given our present state, most people might have thought that it was a gift from Heaven, a godsend. Halleluiah! Praise the Lord!! We now have enough money to get where we need to be!!

I never gave it a second thought. I picked up the wallet and walked back into the store and gave it to the manager. She was curious and opened the billfold, and that face she made when she saw the name on the ID card will never escape me. She exclaimed, "I know this man!!! This is all he has for the rest of the month!!!" Turns out that it was only a couple hundred dollars, and the man was on Social Security, living in a a rundown apartment a couple blocks away. I felt good about what I had done, but back to my last night of freedom from children for some time coming. My brother and sister-in-law were watching the kids for us while we had our last night of freedom. So, off to the casino. I felt maybe I shouldn't have tried gambling that night as we had to make every penny count. We tried anyway.

The machines weren't very productive for the first few minutes and we were about to head out the door when, on my second to last bet, I hit 10 out of 10. Now, anyone who knows gambling, knows that 10 out of 10 is incredibly rare. Like winning the lottery. 30 million to 1, or some shit like that. I won $360 on the bet I was playing. So I decide I'll cash out at $340 which gave us a little extra breathing room for the trip. (mind you, this is on $5)

I upped my bet to double, and three plays later, I hit for $800. Five plays later, I hit another $800. I quit pushing it and cashed out at $2000(which it automatically does when it reaches that point). Now we are feeling extremely comfortable about the move.

I guess the point is, I did something right. I wasn't even thinking about it. I think of that old man whose wallet I had found in a bad neighborhood. How would he have survived, what would he have done? How would we have come so far had I not did what I did? The answers are far beyond my knowledge, but I like to think that doing the right thing, saved both of us. And doing the right thing could save so many more....