A Decent Life chapter 1

This story is adapted from the novel of the same name by P. E. Nickodette of the United States.

One day, Hyman called the head of a company named Strey, hoping to get a job from him. But Strey coldly refused him. Seeing that he was on the verge of destitution, he made up his mind to withdraw all his savings from the bank: $167.30. Holding the thin stack of money, he shook his head helplessly.

Walking on a deserted street, Hyman looked dejected. Suddenly, he seemed to be tripped by something. Looking closely, wow, it was actually a wallet!

He tried hard to calm his pounding heart and opened the wallet. Inside, he found a stack of $20 and $100 bills, totaling $10,000! Looking further, there was neither the owner’s business card nor any letters or notes in the wallet. In short, there were no clues indicating the identity of the owner.

What should he do? Take it to the police station? He knew that every police station had a lost – and – found office, but the temptation was too great now. If he had $10,000, he could become a partner in a small repair shop. After some time, he could pay back the money with interest…

Finally, the fierce struggle in Hyman’s heart ended. He decided not to go to the lost – and – found office at the police station for the time being and planned to make the most of this money.

He walked into a clothing store excitedly and bought a suit. When he left the store, he deliberately looked at himself in the mirror. In the mirror was a middle – aged man with a beaming face and decent clothes.

This outfit cost him $138, but he didn’t touch the money he had found. He thought he would carry the $10,000 and start a new life. After that, he only had less than $30 of his own money left, but it was enough for a decent lunch.

Where should he go for lunch? Hyman remembered that he had gone to a restaurant named Torresani with his friends before. Yes, that’s the place!

Thinking of this, he rushed to the Torresani restaurant and pushed open the glass door. Unexpectedly, he saw Strey sitting there having a meal at a glance. Hyman straightened his clothes and walked with steady steps. When he passed by Strey’s table, he politely greeted him, then chose a table farther away and sat down, ordering a sumptuous lunch.

Strey looked at Hyman in surprise, and his curiosity kept growing. Finally, Strey couldn’t help standing up and walking straight to Hyman: “I’m so glad to see you! It seems you’re doing well!”

“Never mind. Would you like to have a drink too?” “Sure!” With that, Strey sat down. During the chat, he learned that Hyman was now the “sales director” of a big company and his business was going extremely smoothly.

Strey seemed very envious and asked, “What are your plans now?”

“I want to take a break. But I miss this city so much, so I came back to have a look. I think maybe I can find some worthwhile trade projects here. Anyway, it’s not bad to rest for a few weeks.”

Hearing what Hyman said, Strey immediately said that there was a vacancy for the head of a branch in his company: “You know, dear, I need a person like you, someone decent and decisive, someone with a business mind. I’ve always wanted to hire you, but there was never a chance. If you can come to my company now, I’ll be very happy.”

With $10,000 in his pocket, Hyman was rather indifferent to Strey’s suggestion and just said he would consider it later…

Strey didn’t give up and kept recommending the position… An hour later, an employment contract was in Hyman’s pocket. That is to say, starting from next month, he would have a weekly salary of $850. Hyman paid the meal bill with his $30, left the restaurant, and immediately got into a taxi, instructing the driver: “Go to the lost – and – found office at the police station!”

When he arrived at the police station, Hyman explained his purpose. The on – duty policeman looked very surprised and said, “Please wait a moment.” Then he went into the next room to make an urgent report to his superior. He knew that it wasn’t an everyday occurrence for someone to find $10,000 on the street and then hand it in to the police station.

Soon, the on – duty policeman came out with an officer. After listening to Hyman’s story of finding the money, the officer smiled humorously and said, “You’re lucky you didn’t spend the money.” Hyman seemed not to understand and asked, “Why?”

The officer smiled again and explained, “This money was withdrawn from the bank to rescue a kidnapped child. The numbers of all the bills have been sent to commercial units across the country. If you had used the money, you would have been arrested immediately. It’s hard for anyone to believe that you found the money on the street! Now, no one will doubt you, Mr. Hyman. You’ve saved your dignity!”