A Value-able Lesson

This story dredged up the memory of the very first time I saw a $2 bill in the wild. I was a wee lad in the ten-to-twelve-year range (an unfortunate number of years ago, so I can’t recall specifically) and at one of the nearby convenience stores. This was back in the day when you could walk into such a place on the corner with a $5 bill, get a few snacks and a soda, and still walk out with enough change for the next day.

I got my normal array of ice cream and chips and a small bottle, went up, and the change was just over two bucks; the cashier handed me a few coins and a 2 dollar bill!

Me: “OoooOOOooo!”

Cashier: “Yeah, someone came in and paid with a bunch of them earlier. Enjoy!”

This was when a random woman stepped up next to me.

Woman: “Oh, gimme that!”

Me: “What? NO!”

Woman: “No, I’ll give you two dollars for it!”

Me: “No thanks, I’ll keep it.”

Woman: “Kids like you don’t know what things are worth, just give it to me!”

Me: “Okay, well first off, YES I do, but even if I didn’t, you just TOLD me it’s worth something!”

To this day, I remember the look on the lady’s face when she froze up, mouth slightly opened, brow still furrowed; it was like one of those Looney Tunes where someone goes to yell, but nothing comes out. While she rebooted, I turned and went on my merry way.

I have no idea whether she collected odd money or just assumed she would get paid a lot by someone who did. For the record, I did have a tendency to hold onto oddball things for a while and then get rid of them; thankfully, the cashier I eventually paid that $2 to also thought it was neat, and I didn’t get a random hostile encounter out of it!