Doing the Right Thing Feels So Good...

Bright and early this morning (okay, around 11:30) I rushed (okay, I was on the way to Walmart for the weekly shopping) to the gas station chicken store to make restitution on the $10 lottery ticket they gave me when I paid for a $5 ticket.

I chose that time because I knew they would be busy slinging chicken after churches let out. I went inside. No other customers. The same clerk was working who provided my windfall yesterday.

"Hi. This is going to sound funny, but I'm here to give you money. Yesterday, I cashed in $45 worth of tickets, bought $45 more in tickets, plus a soda. When I got home, I saw that I had $50 in tickets. One of them was not what I asked for. So I'm here to give you the $5 I owe you. So your lottery money won't be short. I know that's a big deal. I was in here between noon and 12:30."

"Oh. That was me. I remember you."

"Uh huh. That man came back for his red tickets while I was pointing out what I wanted. I didn't notice the wrong ticket until I got home."

"I'm sorry I messed up the ticket."

"That's not a problem. I just wanted your money to come out right."

"Well...we won't know that until Monday."

"I know I got more that what I paid for. So just take this five, and work it out however you need to."

"Can you write down your name and phone number?"

"Sure."

She wrapped my note around that five dollar bill. I virtually skipped out of there. My heavy heart was light again. I had paid my karma debt. It feels so good to do the right thing.

"Pony. I know that took a while. But I feel better now. WAIT! What if she gets fired because now they'll know who made the mistake? Oh, no. She had that look in her eye like, 'WHY did you have to come in and ruin my day?' Now I feel bad. But not. It's the right thing to do."

"Uh huh." I doubt The Pony was even listening to me.

We went on to Walmart for the shopping. On the way home, I said, "Pony? Do you think you can run in and get my 44 oz Diet Coke? I don't want to spook her. She'll think 'What are YOU doing here again?' No need to upset her any more."

"Okay. But I can't buy your lottery tickets."

"For two more weeks and a day! Then you'll be 18! Lottery legal! Heh, heh. Don't worry. I'm going to get my lottery at the old Voice of the Village today."

Of course I was getting more tickets! I won my money back yesterday! So I picked up another $30 ticket, and four $5 tickets. Of course I spent ten dollars more than I cashed in. That's the American way.

Let the record show that I won fifteen dollars on a $5 ticket, and one hundred dollars on the $30 ticket. Which is a sixty-five dollar profit.

Yep. It feels so good to do the right thing.