4.23.2010

C-

It was one of those moments
where you know that whatever god
you happen to believe in at the time
is testing you. There was a definite choice
to make and whether or not I responded
correctly would determine the outcome
of the rest of the afternoon for both myself
and a stranger.

I'd just finished up a moving gig in Manhattan
and was cashing the check my employer had
given me. Tired, sweaty, and in need of both
alcohol and water I waited in line at the branch
I'd never been to and to which I'd never return.
The teller smiled without comment when she saw
my license, but I knew why.

"The DMV charges forty bucks for a new one
and I move a lot so I just put a label over
the address to change it when I need to."

A pearly grin spread across her tired
mocha-colored face expressing appreciation
for a change of pace at the end of her day.

"May I have large bills?" I asked. "The money seems
to last longer if I don't have a wad of twenties."

She smiled again, though this time it was
as though she'd heard a joke already
and was offering her condolences for my mediocrity.

The bills came through the small portal
beneath the shield of bulletproof glass--
three hundreds and a fifty. I thanked her
and turned to walk away while thumbing
the cash into my wallet when I discovered
her mistake: she'd given me an extra hundred.

I'd been laid off for seven months and was
lucky to have any side-work whatsoever, hence
the moving job. That extra C-note would
help get me back on track financially, maybe even
help justify some luxurious poor decisions. The only
thing between me, the sidewalk, and a much-needed break
was a glass door beckoning from a mere five feet away.
That's when I did an about-face.

I'm not a religious man by any means.
I believe that when you die it goes back
to how it was before you were born, the only
difference being that you either learned lessons
in the process or taught some things to those around you
or you didn't. You improved the world or you detracted from it
though, more likely than not, you did both to some degree.
The worms will be your only final judges as they
devour your corpse as far as I'm concerned.
That being said, I do believe in karma; or, to keep it
on a more tangible level, Every action has an equal
and opposite reaction. I see it every day, though maybe
that's by choice. Regardless, I knew I had to return
that unearned money. If I didn't a stray air-conditioner
would probably wind up falling on me from an apartment
window during my walk back to my truck.

"How much was that check for?" I asked
after returning to the teller.

"Two fifty...Oh Jesus, I gave you three fifty!"

"Yeah. You did."

I slid the culprit back under the divider
hoping the woman's manager didn't notice
and walked out of the bank
knowing I'd sleep better
and there wouldn't be another person
joining me on the unemployment list.

You'd be fair in contesting my track record
but none of my wins were stolen.
I sleep best at night
with nothing to fear but my shadow.

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