Good deed for the day.

[davywavy]

Whilst travelling home from work on Tuesday I was going down the escalator at Kings Cross when I looked down and there at my feet was a roll of tenners. It isn't every day this happens.
It wasn't a small sum of money - more than a hundred quid, I'd guess, rolled in an elastic band. My immediate reaction was predictable. "Waahooo!" I thought. "This will buy me the new pair of Oakley's I've been lusting after!"
I picked it up and looked about and there, at the bottom of the escalator, was a bloke looking bemused and feeling in his pockets. He hadn't seen me, and, if it was his money, he plainly had no idea I had it.

A little red version of myself holding a pitchfork appeared on my shoulder. "Keep it", said my evil side.
I nodded. My evil side made a good, sensible-sounding case.
After a very long pause, another figure, this of myself in robes with a harp appeared on my right shoulder.
"Hello", I said. "I haven't seen much of you lately."
With vocal cords long unused, my good side struggled to speak for a moment. It shrugged. "There's not been much for me to do.", it said. "Give his his money back. It's his, not yours."
"Ah", pitched in my evil side. "But he's got a wad of tenners and you haven't. That means if you keep it then it wouldn't be theft, it would be redistribution of wealth. That's how it works, you know."
I nodded again. My evil side was talking a lot of sense.
My good side cried out in horror. "You sound like Gordon Brown!", it cried.
I cursed. My good side was right.


"Scuse me", I said. "Have you lost some money?"
"Yeah?", he replied, hopefully.
"How much. It's not like I'm just going to hand it over."
"A roll of notes?"
"Damn. You win."
I gave him his money and went off to Ninja High, wondering if the expression of surprise and gratitude on his face was worth a wad of cash to me.

Comments

[breekom.livejournal.com]

As was it worth it or are you spending the money, still, in your mind. You did the right thing. Bad karma, dude, you, like, don't wanna court it, yeah? Cool. Respect. *sigh*

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Nah, Sadly for me I'm an inherently honest person. My evil side is often very vocal though.
TBH, A hundred quid or so isn't exactly a life-changing sum of loot, is it? Not worth selling my soul for.

[christ1974.livejournal.com]

Aaah Well done fella.
St Peter will no doubt forgive other Transgressions for that one!

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I've got a fair list to work through yet.

[christ1974.livejournal.com]

That said though who keeps tenners rolled up in elastic bands these days, apart from Gangsters from the sweeney.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

The guy was obviously, and I mean obviously a stoner. Even I, famously oblivious to the world around me, could tell he was.
It added something to the giving it back, though. My inner sanctimony was crying "he'll spend it on drugs!"

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Well done, even if it was a stoner (and who knows where the money came from).

Where do you buy your Oakleys?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

There's an Oakley shop in Covent Garden, although I check with Ebay first as if the stuff you want shows up there it's usually cheaper. The new boots will be my gift to myself when I give myself a payrise, whenever that happens to be.

Thank the Lord you're here!

[(Anonymous)]

Well, you did make a vow.

Re: Thank the Lord you're here!

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

that helps us all, so let's recall it now
the oath that he swore
said life would be
so sweet and free once more
our hero has come
let's all join in
as we begin the big parade
so bang on your drum
and raise your flag
'cause history is being made

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

That was a great thing to do. For all you know he gets paid weekly in cash and that was his entire week's wages! I hope I'd have done the same...

[kcontheroad.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right not to have mentioned anything about the bloke in your initial description. Doesn't matter who he was.

Who knows? Maybe his seeing that there is an honest man in this world may inspire him to become one? The real reason to have done it is the exact reason you gave:

It was the Right Thing to do.

Mega respect heading your way from across the ocean.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Plus I got to boast about it on LJ! Wheee!

Re: Thank the Lord you're here!

[(Anonymous)]

You're a friend to all mankind.
H

[(Anonymous)]

...which nullifies any good karma you may have received from your good deed.

[winterbadger]

Good for you!

[inquis.livejournal.com]

Rah, good for you. I like honesty :oD

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Nah, I nullified that when I punched an kitten and pushed an old lady into teh raod on the way to work this morning.

[applez.livejournal.com]

A roll, without a money clip? All tenners?

Clearly drug/blood/whore money. You'd have been morally justified in keeping it. ;-)

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Only if I were a socialist!

[vampyrefate.livejournal.com]

No, nothing like Gordon Brown at all.

Contrast with:
1) demand a percentage of the sum found (22% at least, or maybe 40% to be sure)
2) demand that the chap that lost the money pay some of his money into a national pot so that he can then try and claim his money back if he later loses it again. (Unless he's got lost of savings, in which case he can afford to lose it).
3) demand that you pay some money into a national pot as well.
4) Blow all the money in 1, 2 and 3 on an ID card scheme so that people cannot lose money again.

It's a good job you're honest :-)

[(Anonymous)]

You aren't nearly right wing enough to be a socialist

Ahhhhh

[colonel-maxim.livejournal.com]

You are going straight to heaven, shame you will not know anybody when you get there.

[applez.livejournal.com]

Clearly you don't have the true love of Jesus in your heart. ;-p

Re: Ahhhhh

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I know - I considered making my LJ 'Fiends only' a while ago, but realised that this wouldn't change the demographic.

[gwaunquest.livejournal.com]

There's always the posibility that there was a camera lurking in the vicinity and you may turn up on some god awful reality tv show.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I thought they had to get permission from the person for Reality TV shows? If they use my image without permission they'll be getting a bill :)

[gwaunquest.livejournal.com]

Mummy there's a man with a bill at the door.
No dear, that's a duck wearing a hat.