For the rest of our lives, there must be one life changing experience that one person experiences. And today, I was able to have an amazing experience that I would forever remember.
I went home early because I no longer had a class. I browsed the net until my phone vibrated and saw that J sent me a message via uLink. He was asking if I want to eat merienda with him and obviously, the message was delayed because I got it at around 5:47 and I knew he had his Economics class at 6. So I went to have a nap and planned to wake up at 6:15 and go back to Ateneo and wait for his class to be over so that he will not make tampo that I didn't meet him during activity period. But I still slept for another five minutes and went to brush my teeth and wash my face. And when I was walking to Ateneo Avenue, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a bunch of bills on the ground. I picked it up thinking that the girl I passed by was the one who dropped it. But she said she didn't and that she already saw the money before I did and she didn't even bother to pick it up. Maybe she feared that the burden would be upon her.
I realized that there was no one else on the street and that it was already to late to let go of the money since I couldn't leave it on the ground again for fear somebody else picked it up. So I went back to the dorm and told my landlady that I picked up a huge amount of money. She told me I should hold on to it until someone claims that they lost money. I decided to go to my old dorm to ask since I found it in front of the place. Nobody has lost any money. I feared that the owner might not get it back and unfortunately, my conscience keeps gnawing at me. I went to the resto that my friend owns and which is just a few houses away and planned to ask if any costumer has complained about losing any money. Unfortunately again, she wasn't there. So despite everything, I still went to school and waited for J.
J took me to the dorm afterwards and I asked our landlady if there's any news and she said that there wasn't. I was losing hope. I knew I would not be able to sleep tonight. But at the last moment, I decided to go back to the resto and ask my friend who was, thank God, there at the moment. And before I could even finish, voila! She said it was she who lost the money which she was supposed to buy LPG. After all the interviews, and when I confirmed that it was indeed her who lost it, how much and blah blah blah, she thanked me and gave me a free dinner! :) It was like a heavy feeling was gone. I could finally breathe properly knowing that I was able to give the money back.
There must have been a reason why the text message was late. It was because I should go back to school to find the money. There must have been a reason why I slept for 5 minutes more and chose to wash my face. If I had been 5 minutes earlier maybe I never picked up the money. Same as if I had been 5 minutes late, someone might have picked it up instead of me. Also, there must have been a reason why my dorm mate didn't pick it up. Maybe it was because I had the capacity to look for the owner more than she did.
I had thought of a lot of things I could have bought with that amount of money. But I knew that if I did spend it, the things that I will buy with it would forever haunt me. I wasn't raised by my parents to take advantage of opportunities like this. It just didn't feel right. I couldn't even look at the bunch of paper bills that I was holding and my hands were trembling when I counted the amount. Others may have felt bad that I gave it back. But for me? It's not because I wanted to play the part of the hero or the good girl. I just want to give the money back because if I was the one who lost my allowance, I would also feel bad. I was just considering the feelings of someone who has experienced a loss and it's what drove me to determinedly find the owner.
Because sometimes, the finders are not necessarily the keepers. Oh, and before I forget someone sent me load and I have no idea who sent it. Tita says I should try the lottery tomorrow. Maybe I would win. :)
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