I am starting the first new post for the new year 2015 with one telling the value "Honesty is the best
policy".
Honesty is
the best policy.
It was the
annual food fair happening near our house. Unwilling to miss out on the
fabulous opportunity to try out some food, Mother brought me along with her –
her dutiful companion. Sigh, why do I always have to follow her everywhere?
Scooting towards the food fair like a dissipated poof of smoke, the
intoxicating aroma of food instantly flooded my nostrils. The place was packed
like sardines. Despite it being a scorching hot Sunday afternoon, everyone
seemed to be in an excellent mood, with some jostling for bargains. Beads of
perspiration dotting my forehead like prominent trademarks in a place, I
scanned my noisy surroundings.
From the
corner of my eye, I spotted a leather wallet.
I gasped in
utter disbelief and rubbed my eyes. It was no mistake as it was indeed a
wallet! Walking towards it like an eager bridegroom, I picked it up gingerly. I
opened the wallet. “Five hundred dollars?” I blurted out, my voice drowned by
the background noise. With so much money, I could easiy purchase anything I
truly desired! But would it be alright? The words of my teacher, Mrs Lim
immediately came flooding back to me. “Do not take things that do not belong to
you.” With that, I asked around if the wallet had belonged to anybody. However,
my attempts were futile.
Just then,
I spotted a woman.
She had
strawberry-blonde hair cascading down her head and eyes as dark as obsidian.
The woman seemed distressed and looked like she was searching for something.
Was the wallet hers?
“Excuse me,
is this wallet yours?” I asked politely.
At first
glance, she acknowledged it as hers and thanked me incessantly, tears snaking
down her olive pale-looking face like a broken faucet. “Thank you! If you
didn’t return the wallet, I would not be able to pay for my daughter’s medical
fees.” Ever so grateful, she had wanted to reward me for my honesty. I
declined. Excusing myself after she had asked for my name and the school I had
attended, I hurried back to Mother’s side.
I was
pleasantly surprised the next day.
During
assembly, I was called up onto the stage by our smartly-dressed principal.
Everyone shot quizzical looks at me. For once, even I – the audacious one was
on pins and needles. Did I do something wrong? Like a nervous contestant in the
finals of a spelling bee competition, I walked up the stage stairs. At that
juncture, the woman appeared once again. She was not alone. A girl, with her hair
tied up in a ponytail was by her side. The principal then rattled off the entire
story. Apparently, the woman had notified the principal of my honest deed.
Furthermore, she had even arranged for me to be publicly acknowledged for my
honest act. After the principal narrated the act to the attentive school body,
everyone burst into tremendous applause. I shook the woman’s hand. “You were my
angel. Thank you for being such an honest boy!” I was delirious with joy.
Honesty is
indeed the best policy.
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