dollar bills found money

FOUND MONEY: The dilemma of earned versus gifted

Last updated: November 5th, 2018

It was really, really cold.

She kept her eyes on her mom’s red bomber jacket and her mom kept looking back for her pink snowsuit, smiling. They were going to the Cannex for milk and potatoes. This part of the sidewalk hadn’t been ploughed yet, so they were forced to walk in single file. The girl didn’t mind, her six-year-old feet hopped from one of her mother’s footstep crevasses to the next as fast as they could. She was small for her age, with rainbow frame glasses that kept fogging up unless she pulled her scarf down. She wore the thick snow suit and furry purple boots. Instead of hopping from one footprint to the next, she stumbled, tumbled and kicked snow everywhere. But snow was the fun of winter.

She was getting warm so she pulled down her scarf, unzipped her jacket and pulled off her mittens and let them dangle from her sleeves. The dry cold of the Manitoba winter penetrated her wool sweater and she sighed, relieved. As they came up to the crossroads where the snow was shovelled, she plunked down and sunk her hands into the cool snow. As she dug through the fluffy snow her bare hand uncovered a damp, brick-coloured piece of paper. She pulled it out of the snow and uncrumpled it—a $2 bill.

She sat back and stared at the bill for a few moments. She could read the big block number “2.” She had often seen her daddy use them to buy coffee so he could get change for the grocery cart. She wondered for a second if she should get change for the grocery cart today, since today her daddy wasn’t with them. The sun glistened on the hologram. The Queen stared at her. As the sun shone the Queen disappeared, replaced by two robins who looked at her innocently. She had a weird guilty feeling; someone else had dropped the money. If they were still around they might want it back.

“Hey kiddo! Whatcha got there?” Anxious the girl recoiled in surprise, the sudden inquiry feeling like an indictment. Her mom was smiling down at her. “Hey, you found some money!”

“Yeah,” she nodded. She had found it. After all, “finders-keepers,” right? She shivered; all the snow she had been playing in was now drying and allowing the cold to cut her to the bone. She stuffed the bill in her pocket, zipped up her jacket and pulled on her gloves. She grabbed her mom’s hand, jumped up and together they walked across the street, stopping again to wait for the next light.

“So, whatcha gonna do with the money?”

The girl had been wondering that too. The money sat in her jacket. All her thoughts were on it. It radiated. The possibilities were burning through her pocket and into her head. She wasn’t sure what she should do but she knew what she could do. She could buy a chocolate bar, or new Sailor Moon sticker cards. Or should she get the change for the cart? It was her daddy’s birthday soon and maybe she should get him a nice presenthe always got her something nice.

They walked across the next street and, cutting over the corner, started walking through the parking lot. “What… what should I do?”

“That’s up to you, kiddoit’s your money. You can do whatever you want.” Her mom looked carefully down at her. “You are a big girl.”

She paused as they started up the steps to the Cannex door. For this money she hadn’t had to have a birthday or do chores or wait for her allowance. This had come freea gift from the snow. A gift that was worth so much! The girl stuck her gloved hand into her pocket and grasped her two dollars. It seemed like a big decision to make for such a small thing. What did her mom expect her to do? Should she give it away? Share it with her mom and daddy? What did she want to do? Could she do all of these with just two dollars?

Sensing her daughter’s hesitation, her mom smiled at her, “C’mon.” The girl’s mom held the door open. As the girl stepped inside the indoor warmth enveloped her. Her glasses fogged up as she stood upon the precipice of her big decision.

[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]by Stephanie Gauvin