Is Honesty The Best Policy??
Today I found ?40 on the ground, at first I thought it was a ?20 but on closer inspection it was 2 of them neatly folded, they had obviously just fallen from the hands/pocket of its owner. I didnt keep it. I handed it in so to speak. It got me thinking of my time of poorness.
It was about 6 years ago, I was in 2nd year in college and I was in town, it was a Monday night and it was lashing down, sheets of rain, I wanted a taxi home but had the ?4 for the nitelink and that was all. I had been in the pub drinking with my friend. We went to the an ATM at the bottom of Grafton Street, as I was at the machine I glanced towards the ground and saw a wallet. I picked it up and inside was over ?400, someone had obviously just gone to the ATM and dropped it, my mind was racing. Could I keep it. It was over a months rent to a very very poor college student. It was all of my Christmas presents bought. It was a lot of money to me. I looked it the wallet. Passport pictures of a boy, credit cards, gym membership card, bank card, a million other pieces of identification. Could I keep it? I reluctantly walked to Pearse Street Garda Station and was pretty much pushed in the door by my pending guilt. I handed the wallet in, with all of the money still in it. They took my name and address and told me that if it hadn't been claimed that I would be the rightful owner after a year and a day. I wanted that money so much. But I thought "what if that had been me who dropped it, I would be fucked".
Two weeks later I got a letter, it was from the person who owned the wallet, attached was a voucher for Tower Records for ?50, it was her rent money, it was her money, she gave me a reward because she, like me, would have been fucked if I had kept it. It made me smile for the whole day. I sold the voucher on the college notice board for less than the face value because I needed it more than I needed the music it could have bought me. But I felt good for weeks later because I hadn't been that asshole.
When I found the money today I wanted to keep it, but I couldn't, because I know how pissed off I would have been if it had been my ?40. Do other people hand things in?
(*Note: Once, I threw a twenty euro note into the bin in the shopping centre beside my house with a reciept, the most thick thing I have ever done, I hope the cleaning person who may or may not have found it bought themselves something nice with it and that it didn't go to a landfill!!)
4.21-en
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Comments
Handing in a wallet with identification and cards in it is one thing, it's reasonably likely to be collected.
Handing in two ?20 notes is another thing entirely. The likelihood that it will be claimed is pretty much zero. Most likely it went on a round of drinks in Copper Face Jacks by whatever Garda you handed it to.
Posted by: Matt | December 3, 2007 1:06 AM
Agree with Matt- but kudos for handing the wallet in!
Posted by: Destructor | December 3, 2007 6:55 AM
Knowing the 40 euro was unlikely to be claimed you could have put it in one of those collection tins various charities put on grocery counters.
Posted by: Sue | December 3, 2007 7:58 AM
It was on the ground just outside my friends apartment, so I think it may have been someone who lived in the apartment block, that's why I handed it in. If it was just in the street it would have been i mo phoca before I had even realised.
Posted by: Babs | December 3, 2007 8:54 AM
Good on you, Babs. I'd do exactly the same and hope that some fecker in the middle wouldn't pocket it. We've all been in that situ where we've lost cash when absolutely broke. Hurts like hell.
Posted by: Alexia | December 3, 2007 7:11 PM
Thank you Alexia!!
Posted by: Babs | December 3, 2007 11:04 PM