My friend Todd owes me a dollar . He has owed it to me for twelve months , and I fear there is a little prospect of of his ever returning it. I can realise whenever I meet him that he has forgotten that he owes me a dollar. He meets me in the same Frank , friendly way as always. My dollar has clean gone out of his mind. I see that shall never get it back .
On the other hand , I shall remember all my life that Todd owes me a dollar. It will make no difference to our friendship, but I shall never be able to forget it. I don't know how it is with other people; but if any man borrows a dollar from me I carry the recollection of it to my grave .
Let me relate what happened . Todd borrowed the dollar last year on 8th of April (I mentioned the date in case this should ever meet Todd's eye) ,just as he was about leave for Bermuda . He needed a dollar I change to pay his taxi fare; and I lent it to him. It happened quite simply and naturally . I hardly realised it till it was all over .
Todd came back in three weeks . We spent the evening together, talking about Bermuda. I was thinking of the dollar but ofcourse I didn't refer to it . One simply can't . I asked him what currency is used in Bermuda , and wether the American dollar goes at par . I put a slight emphasis on the. American dollar, but found again that I could not bring myself to make any reference to it.
I meet Todd frequently . Only two nights ago I met him out at dinner and he was talking , apparently without self-conscious about Poland. He said that Poland would never pay her debts. You would think like that would have reminded him of his debt . But it did not seem to.
It took me some time (I see Todd practically every day at my club ) to realise that he had completely forgotten the dollar. So I knew it was all over.
In all this, I bear Todd no grudge . I have simply added him to list of men who owe me a dollar and who gave forgotten it . It make no difference in my demeanour them , but I only fish that I cold forget .
But meantime a thought-- a rather painful thought --has begun to come into my mind at intervals . It is this. If Todd owes me a dollar and has forgotten it , it is possible that there must be a man to whom I owe a dollar which I have forgotten . There may be a list of them . The more I think of it , the less I like it , because I am quite sure that if I had forgotten s dollar, I should never pay it on the side of the grave.
I want to start a general movement, a Back to Honesty Movement , for paying all these odd dollars that are borrowed in moments of expansion . Let us remember that the greatest nations were built up on the rock basis of absolute honesty.
Do mention if you like the story.
Comment, vote and follow .
Check out my social media .
Cheers!!^_^
