Would you exchange $10,000 for a jar of applesauce? Unless the Golden Delicious apples it was made from actually contained chunks of real gold, probably not.
But that’s just the reward one Washington state man received for returning ten grand he serendipitously found in the road to its rightful owner.
Michael King had just taken out the money from the bank to cover a business debt he owed. For whatever reason, he was so distracted, he accidentally left his wallet on his vehicle before cranking up the engine and heading home.
“I just took the withdrawal that day, and I don’t know what compelled me to leave it on the bumper of the truck,” King told the Seattle Times. “… I am just flabbergasted that it didn’t get picked up by somebody else. It would have crippled us to have that amount of money disappear.
”Meanwhile, Steve Harrison, who was heading in the opposite direction noticed something floating in the breeze. Quickly realizing it was cash, he pulled over and snatched it up. He found King’s wallet as well.
After pulling into a Costco parking lot, Harrison counted the booty—one hundred $100 bills and three singles for a total of $10,003. Though it might have been tempting to use the windfall, Harrison used his own money to pay for his purchases.
His next order of business: tracking down King and returning his bankroll and wallet.
“I never took seriously the notion of keeping it,” Harrison told the Times. “It’s just simpler to do the right thing. Once I realized that there was an ID involved, I knew I would return the money.”
When the two arranged to meet, retired painting contractor King wasn’t able to give Harrison a financial reward. Instead, he swapped the found funds for a jar of homemade applesauce—which he told Harrison was made with love and care by his family.
While that might sound like a mighty price jar of applesauce to some, to us, it’s a form of currency that would leave a good taste in anyone’s mouth.
And King isn’t stopping there with his gratitude. Harrison has been promised home-smoked salmon, homemade blackberry jam, and many more tasty treats in his future besides.
Read more about this inspiring story here!
(Picture courtesy of the Seattle Times)
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