The wind was ruffling through my wild hair while the setting sun stared at me directly in the eyes, blinding my gaze, and forced me to admire the asphalt. I was on the back of my friend's, Hank, motorcycle, on our way to the nearby mall, where we had a group date with two girls from school, when an object on the ground struck my gaze. Curiosity getting the best of me, I told him to halt the vehicle in order to be able to get a better look at the object which held my attention. Dumping my soles on the ground, I reached over and grabbed it- a wallet!
The wallet appeared to be relatively new and inexpensive ; a simple fabric affair. Rifling through its numerous slides revealed a few advetisement cards of some shops and random businesses but an Identity Card or whatsoever piece of address to reach its owner could not be found. Then, to my utmost amazement, snapping the last slide on the rear, I saw that it was chock-full of notes- fives, tens, twenties and-one which i had ever so rarely come across in my short life- hundred dollar notes. I was stunned by the sight of that so many notes but still, the fact that he or she had lost such a huge sum of money depressed me as well.
When Hank's greedy eyes fell on the notes, he abruptly snatched the wallet from my hands and began snapping the notes and stuffed them in his pockets. 'What the hell are you doing?, I cried. 'Finders keepers,' he muttered in reply, all the while glancing up and down the lane- which was unfortunately deserted- like a hunted animal. I was horrified, I mean this money was not ours, we had no right to take it and to do so would be stealing. I told him as much but he just stared at me as though I was nuts in response.
But he would not stop, his whole demeanor had changed ; he was a man possessed. I knew then that words would be useless, drastic steps had to be taken-and fast- if I were to save what was left of the money. Clenching my fingers into a fist, I struck him just beneath his nasal cartilage, in the lower jaw. The blow shoved him backwards and he momentarily lost his grip of the wallet which hit the ground soundlessly. Blood trickled down his nose but I could not have cared less. 'Enough is enough,' I said and grabbing the fallen wallet from the filthy ground, I marched furiously down the street.
The date was off. The girls would probably curse us before stalking off the mall but I honestly could not feel sorry for them. Right then, i doubt if I felt anything at all. My vision was spinning, my thoughts were jumbled and my legs felt weak. I was possibly in shock. Spotting a nearby bench,I trudged towards it and crashed. Shuffling through the notes, I noticed that about half the cash had been usurped by that rogue, but a respectable stack still remained. 'Now what,' I thought. Retracing the rightful owner would be next to impossible without an ID card. FIngering the notes thoughtfully, I glimsed a slouched old woman dressed in a dirt encrusted, worn out robe limping by, begging for alms.
My heart instantly went out to her. Raising my gaze to the yellow-pink sky and the lazy clouds overhead, I said a little prayer. 'May this money here help this woman there to lead a better life,' I whispered. That was the least I could do to ease my conscience and get rid of the money. Strolling up by her side, I gently took her hands and slipped the bundle of notes through her bony fingers. She stared at me in utter surprise and wonder. There was an undescribable glow on her face that caught me off guard. For someone who slept outdoors, she was remarkably fair and calm-she had the grace of an angel. I tensed as the image of the setting sun which had blinded my gaze shot up mind that very moment. My features relaxed and I smiled. It was probably the will of some supreme being after all. I reached over and gave her a big hug, filthy or not, she was a human too!
