The JFT topic for today was "Honesty." People sometimes make jokes about "cash- register honesty", but even that simple concept can have consequences beyond what we could possibly imagine.
Many years ago, with a couple of years of recovery, I was in the rather schizo position of being both a student at one of the most expensive universities in the country and a "welfare mom" with a two year old.
On a hot summer Saturday morning, our welfare check arrived in the mailbox, so I decided to walk all the way down the hill and hit the bank's drive-through, as the fridge supply was getting kind of low. Toddler in tow, I made my way to the bank, where a smiling young woman cashed my check without pointing out that we were on foot instead of driving, and technically, she did not have to conduct bank business with pedestrians.
After a sweaty slog home, I fortified my daughter with some orange juice and myself with a Dr. Pepper, then opened the envelope and started counting.. Uh-oh. I counted again and the results were the same--the teller had given me $10 too much. I played that every which way to Sunday. You know how that goes: "It's only ten bucks." "It's hot as blazes out." "I have to put my baby through that again?" Etc., etc.
But no matter how much of a hassle it would be, that $10 was not mine and I knew it. Recovery gives us a conscience. So it was back down the hill to the bank for us. I explained the mistake, and handed back the overpayment.
She started thanking me profusely, and then, seeing the subsequent mystification on my face, enlightened me: "If I had come up short this money when I cashed out, it would have cost me my job..."
Author
jessejane