Last week at work (I work at a restaurant/bar) the manager and I are watching TV behind the bar. (Hey, it’s a slow shift, and I don’t have cable at home.)
The busser walks behind the bar with a large brown bank bag–the kind that zips, for deposits, etc.–and hands it to the manager, looking confused.
The manager says, “Where’d you get this?”
The busser says, “Found it on a table.”
The manager opens it and sees about $400 in cash, an ID, and a checkbook.
Manager looks at busser and says, “Eduardo, you’re an honest man.”
Eduardo shrugs, grins, and walks away to continue his shift; manager looks at me and says, “I always knew I liked that kid, but…damn!”
He puts the bank bag in the safe in the office, and waits for someone to call about it; sure as shit, within two hours, someone does. My manager, aka Chris, tells the guy that he’ll have to identify the bag and its contents before Chris will release it.
The guy says, “Oh sure.”
Chris says, “No, I mean you need to come down here and identify it without seeing it.”
Guy is apparently annoyed about this, but he comes to the restaurant anyway, and Chris takes him into the office, shuts the door, and says, “Okay, I need you to tell me what the bag looks like and what was in it. And you need to be pretty close.”
“So you looked through my bag?” Guy says, looking outraged.
Chris blinks. “Yes. Of course. I needed to find out what was in it so I could return it to its rightful owner. Just describe it to me.”
“I don’t have time for your games,” Guy snorts. “Just give me my bag.”
“Look. I am not in the habit of releasing bank bags to just anyone. I want to be absolutely sure it belongs to you. Just tell me what’s in it.”
Guy rolls his eyes and says, in a parody of okay-you-fucking-moron sing-song voice, “Let’s see here…it’s a brown bag, it’s got about four hundred dollars in cash, my ID, and a checkbook. Are you happy now?”
“What name is on the ID?”
“Mine!” Guy shouts, and proceeds to tell Chris his name.
Chris had written the name down, and it matches.
“Okay, then,” Chris says amiably. “Just didn’t want to give the bag to the wrong person. Here you go.”
Guy snatches the bank bag, stands up, and snaps, “I’m just going to assume that all the money’s in here.”
Storms out of the restaurant.
Okay. Um…does anybody else see anything wrong with this? The guy was just handed back four hundred dollars in cash, his ID, and his check book…and he doesn’t even say thanks? Doesn’t even want to shake the hand of the honest young employee who turned it in? The busser who makes $4.25 an hour plus a small percentage of tips? That bank bag would’ve meant an extra month’s wages! And he’s got the nerve to be pissed that my manager just wants to make sure it’s returned to its rightful owner? He’s got the nerve to be pissed that my manager looked through his bag?
What the fuck is wrong with this asshole? Why would you accuse the very restaurant that turned your bag in of stealing its contents? What did he plan on doing if “all the money wasn’t in there?” Was he gonna sue?
WHAT A FUCKING ASSHOLE!
I’ve lost my wallet before, and no one has ever returned it. I would’ve been happy if they’d just return my ID’s and personal information, and take the money! Anytime you lose something like that, your chances of getting any of it back are pretty damn low…so wouldn’t you be grateful if someone returned it to you? And was careful enough to make sure it did belong to you before handing it over to just anyone who’d noticed it? What kind of crap is the riot act this guy read my manager?
I know that in a perfect world, “virtue would be its own reward” and all that…but damn, how hard is it to say, “Thanks for your honesty!”
Chris was so annoyed by the guy’s response that he said if he’d known the guy would be such an asshole, he would’ve kept the bank bag and given it back to Eduardo!
[sub]I doubt he really would’ve. But I understand his frustration.[/sub]
:mad:
