There were no other customers in the pizza shop when she saw the tighly folded $20 bill on the floor. She picked it up and looked around for someone who might have dropped it. No one. Her first thought was “Lucky me” and thought to keep it, knowing the person who lost it would probably never figure out where he may have dropped it. But the she thought, “I’ll give it to an employee to hold in case the owner returns and if not, they can share it in the tip jar” which is neglected a lot by customers and so she did. Then she went to her table and started her dinner.
A few minutes later, a young Asian man came in, looking a panicked. She had seen him and his girlfriend leaving as she came in earlier. The man looked in the trash can but it had just been emptied. He looked again in his wallet. He looked dejected and she approached him. She said quietly to him “Are you looking for a tightly folded $20 bill?” He looked shocked at the question but said in awe “Yes I am!” She told him she had turned it in to the employees and to go tell them he was here. She watched and nodded when the employee gave her a questioning look and gave him the money. She could tell by his demeanor that he was so relieved and he thanked her profusely.
She felt warm and happy to have been able to actually see this all play out in front of her. It made up for the problems of her day. She reaped the reward of doing the right thing for the right reason and seeing it work out right in the end. It turned out to be a good day for her.