I held up the wallet without saying a word. His reaction was almost instant. His eyes widened. His hand shot out, trembling, as he gently took the wallet from me.
“You. Where did you,” he stammered, unable to finish his sentence.
“Found it at the shop where I work,” I said gently. “It was under one of the lifts.”
He opened the wallet quickly, flipping through the contents as if he were afraid it might vanish in his hands. Then his entire body seemed to sag with relief.
“Oh, thank goodness,” he whispered. His eyes filled with tears.
“I thought it was gone,” he said softly. “I thought I had lost everything I worked for.”
I shifted awkwardly on the porch. “It looked important,” I offered.
“It is,” he said, his voice shaking. “That is my pension. My retirement money. All of it. I withdrew it this week to handle some personal matters.”
My chest tightened. All of it. His entire pension.
