Have I posted this yet?
I bought this painting in Denver from "John"-a student in Colorado at a school for children with Down Syndrome.
I had no choice. It spoke to me.
Sooooo....today at Starbucks.
I walked up to the register and stood behind this man ordering an "Ice Mocha" in broken English. I'm just standing there waiting...the barista asks him a question....he doesn't know what the heck she's saying...and I start to fidget.
(I'm an expert fidgeter.)
Pretty soon I'm taking my wallet out of my purse to make sure I have my "Starbucks Gold Card" which is funny because I practically sleep with that thing. But I gotta look busy.
Anyway, just as I open my wallet the dude in front of me pays the cashier. I hear this clinging sound and look down. He looks down too. There is a quarter spinning on the ground between us.
I lean down and pick it up. He does this half-lean with his hand out. So I pick it up and put it back in my wallet thinking he was going to get it for me...right? To be a gentleman? I don't know what I was thinking.
"Thanks," I say. Meaning- "Thanks for leaning down to get my quarter for me, but...I got it."
And as I slipped it back into my wallet I had a fleeting thought:
Was that really my quarter? Or did this guy just drop his change and then I picked it up and said, "Thanks."
Looking back, I'm 90% sure that I totally pocketed this guy's quarter.
Why would I have a random quarter in my wallet.
I don't have any change in my wallet.
"Thanks."
"Because that's how we roll in the United States. When money falls on the floor, the first person to grab it gets to keep it."
"But seriously. Thanks."
Embarassed and afraid he wouldn't understand my explanation, I said nothing and moved onto the coffee bar where we stood together in awkward silence (for one loooooong minute) while the barista brewed our drinks.
oh i am a thief.
I should add that to my resume.
but I promise to put the quarter to good use.
Tomorrow I'm giving it to the Salvation Army bell-ringing guy.
