Week #1 - October 21, 2005
A young man walks into a bar at two in the afternoon and orders a boilermaker, which he quickly drains. He throws a $100 bill on the bar, winks at the bartender and walks out the door....
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posted by Paul Keetch at
12:00 AM
1 Comments:
The bartender, astonished, looks at the $100 dollar bill in disbelief.
"I don't believe this..." he mutters to himself, grabbing the bill and stuffing it into his front right pocket. He shakes his head in wonder at how the world seems to keep itself in a constant state of balance.
Earlier that day, on his way to open the bar, he had pulled out his wallet to purchase a newspaper at the stand around the corner, as he did every other morning, only to find that his wallet was empty. He had checked before leaving the house and had counted five crisp $20 bills - $100 even. He hadn't taken the money out since leaving his house, and was baffled by how it might have gone missing. Now, here was another $100 to take its place.
His relief soon arrives at the bar and he is able to make his way home, tired and hungry, to spend the evening with his wife and children. It is a warm, dry evening and he decides to walk home instead of taking the stuffy, overcrowded bus. As he reaches the corner of his street he is approached by two young men, one of whom stops and asks him for a cigarette.
"Sorry, I don't smoke," he mumbles, trying to avoid looking the young man in the eyes. He is trying to avoid a confrontation, but the youth takes offence and starts yelling at him. The other young man pushes him from behind and the bartender falls hard to the ground. The cigarette smoker starts kicking him, while his partner quickly rifles through his pockets. He finds - and takes - the $100 tip. The two youths run into the night to spend their new found fortune.
The bartender limps home the last few blocks to his house. He opens the front door and his wife, seeing his disheveled state, becomes worried. He explains what happened, telling her that the youth stole $100 in tips from him.
"That's okay," she tells him, stroking his cheek and helping him out of his jacket. "I was walking to work this morning and found five brand-new $20 bills just sitting on the sidewalk down the street. We're even."
By
Paul Keetch, at 4:53 PM
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