57.A Reward For Honesty

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
A reward for honesty. When David found the wallet on
the busy city sidewalk, he almost didn't see it. A
glint of metal on the clasp caught his eye. Tucked
half under a newspaper stand, he bent down, picked it
up and looked around. Hundreds of people were bustling past him,
their eyes fixed on their phones or the pavement. Nobody

(00:22):
seemed to be looking for a lost wallet. He opened
it cautiously, revealing a thick stack of cash, several credit cards,
and an id with a picture of a stern looking
man in his forties. The man's name was Thomas Grayson,
and judging by the business cards in a sleek embossed
card with the words Platinum member, he was somewhat important.

(00:43):
David's heart raced. Was a lot of money, more than
he'd ever seen in one place. His part time job
at the coffee shop barely covered rent, and he was
already dreading the looming student loan payments. He could pocket
the cash and leave the wallet in a new ben
nobody would know. But David's mother's voice echoed in his head.

(01:05):
Do what's right, even when no one's watching, she'd always
told him, especially when times were hard. With a resigned sigh,
he pulled out his phone and dialed the number on
one of Thomas's business cards. Hello. A deep voice answered, Hi, Um,
mister Grayson, I think I found your wallet, David said,

(01:26):
feeling both nervous and awkward. There was a pause, then
a surprised Really, I didn't even realize it was missing.
Where are you? Within fifteen minutes, a sleek black car
pulled up to the coffee shop where David worked. Thomas
stepped out, looking even more imposing in person. His sharp
suit and piercing eyes made David feel like a scruffy kid.

(01:49):
Thomas scanned the area, then fixed his gaze on David,
who handed over the wallet. Everything's in there, David said quickly.
I didn't take anything. Thomas flipped through the wallet and nodded,
clearly pleased. Thank you. Not everyone would be this honest,
you know, David shrugged, feeling his cheeks warm. I just

(02:11):
figured it's the right thing to do. Thomas's expression softened,
and he placed a firm hand on David's shoulder. You're
a good man. Honesty is rare these days. I'd like
to reward you for it. Oh no, David stammered, I
don't need anything. Thomas held up a hand. I insist

(02:32):
you've done something honorable. He pulled out a small card
from his pocket. Come by my office tomorrow. I think
I may have an opportunity that would suit you. The
next day, David visited Thomas's office in a towering glass
building down town. He was given an interview for a
paid internship at Thomas's company, a prestigious finance firm. By

(02:56):
the end of the day, he was offered the position.
Months later, David was thriving in his new role, learning
more than he ever could in class. Thomas became a mentor,
sharing advice and opening doors that David never imagined. A
single act of honesty had changed his life. David often
thought back to that day on the sidewalk, realizing that

(03:17):
doing the right thing, even when it wasn't easy, had
been the best decision he'd ever made.