Three Pennies Richer
One jolt leads to another.
He surprised himself by saving the drowning man, as he himself did not know how to swim.
Chance, if there such a thing, placed him on the river bank precisely when needed. He had stopped at his usual morning coffee shop for a jolt. He was three cents short, however, and a recently hired, foul-tempered barista who did not yet know him refused to spot him this tiny courtesy. This seemingly unfortunate twist dictated the timing of his arrival on the river bank where a crowd cheered.
A poor soul thrashed about in water both deep and fast enough to drown in. This was unfortunate because he was a hefty man who filled a thick, woolen three-piece suit that challenged every attempt to gain footing.
The crowd admired his tenacity if nothing else, and so they kept him in the arena. One boy was less kind.
“Asshole,” he said loudly enough to reach the man, who by then could barely bob his head.
What possibly made this unknown man an asshole?
Our hero stripped to his underwear and, though equally ill-adept in water, instinctively ran in to save the hefty, woolen, quickly drowning man. He tripped when the current became too strong, spit up what he could, and choked on the rest, pleading for the river’s mercy.
He and the drowning man collided and hung onto one another. The crowd roared. The river frothed mercilessly and watched from its own front-row seat.
By no doing of their own, the men washed ashore downstream and sat for a while.
The saved man stood up first. He did not introduce himself.
“I’d like to pay you for your saving me,” he said.
“No, no, of course not,” our hero responded. He did not introduce himself either.
“You would have done the same.”
The saved man knew this was false, and not because he couldn’t swim. A coward, he would have remained with the jeering crowd on shore.
He reached into his soaked pocket and squished out everything he had.
“I’m quite embarrassed I don’t have more.”
He gave his rescuer all three cents as he watched the coins slip through his chubby fingers, and then he went on his way.
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This was yummers for my heart. Thank you.
Daniel, thank you so much. I really appreciate it your kind words and the restack.