So mad I could spit.

I've been sitting here stewing for the last hour - maybe if I write it down, it will help.

Pat and I ate lunch today in the food court here in the downtown skyway . We were sitting, eating, talking, people-watching, and there was a line just beside us at the St. Paul Cookie Company. A couple was at the register, paying for their order, and there were miscellaneous people in line behind them, including a couple of middle-aged women. They (the middle-aged women) appeared to be your average, everyday, downtown St. Paul office workers.

I saw the couple that was paying start to move forward, away from the cookie company, and the women in line behind them stepped up to the register... and as that process was happening, I saw money float to the ground. It was a $10 bill. My immediate reaction was to get up, and if I would have made it to the bill, my gut instinct would have been to hand it to the gentleman who was in the process of walking away, even though I didn't positively see it fall from his hand or wallet, it just seemed as though he dropped it. But before I could get up... one of the women moving to the register reached down and snatched up the bill. I thought - "oh, good, she's going to hand it to him..." but she didn't. So then I second guessed myself, and though - "oh, I was wrong, that was her money in the first place..." but it wasn't. I should have immediately gotten up and said something, and that's what I'm kicking myself about now. Instead I hemmed and hawed about it, because I didn't know for sure. So by this time, the couple had moved over to a food stand on the other side of the food court, but still within our view. And the evil women had skedaddled out of food court, never to be seen again.

So at this time, I still really didn't know that the money wasn't the woman's. But my gut told me it wasn't. So I watched the couple order their food at the BBQ stand, wait for their food at the BBQ stand, then go to pay for their food at the BBQ stand. Now is when I really start to feel bad. Sure enough, the man starts to feel his pockets, check the ground and look around back at the cookie stand. CRUD. He says something to the woman he was with, and she walks back over, retracing their steps, and asks the clerk at the cookie place if he gave them the wrong change... ugh. I know it was just $10, and I didn't know for sure in time to do anything about it, but I'm still feeling bad. I should have said something to the woman as soon as she picked it up. We didn't end up saying anything to the couple before we left because I figured that they weren't going to get their money back at that point, and then as we were walking away, Pat told me he heard the clerk at the cookie stand tell the man that he thought he saw a woman walk away with some money she picked up.

She HAD to have known that the money belonged to the guy in front of her, didn't she? That's why she picked it up so fast and walked away. She could have at least asked. Hopefully what comes around goes around - or goes around, comes around...? whichever way that works, and she has some bad karma come her way. But I guess by this same logic, I've got some bad karma coming my way, because I really should have said something. Shouldn't I? What would you have done?

So, hey - guy in the food court... I'm sorry. And evil woman - grrr.