Of Cabbages and Kings

Three men and a millionaire at Starbucks

By LUELLA DOW

Contributor

There was a certain millionaire who sat in the sunshine at a Starbucks outdoor table. Before him, on the table, were three pieces of paper. He enjoyed his coffee and watched the people passing by.

Suddenly he said, “Sir?” and thrust out his hand toward a man whose shadow fell upon the table.

The man paused beside the table, “You spoke to me?”

“Yes. Take this $1,000 dollar bill I give you.”

“What should I do with it?” the man asked.

“Do with it whatever you want,” the millionaire said. “Contact me later.”

The passerby said, “Thank you,” and he went on his way.

Ten minutes went by. The millionaire again thrust out his hand as another man's shadow fell upon the table. “Sir?”

The second man paused beside the table. “You spoke to me?” he asked.

“Yes,” said the millionaire. “Take this $500 dollar bill I give you.”

The second man said, “What shall I do with it?”

“Do with it whatever you want. Contact me later.”

“Thank you,” said the second man, and he went on his way.

Ten more minutes went by. Now, only one piece of paper lay on the table.

A third man approached the table. The millionaire smiled. The third man asked, “Whatcha doing with this five dollar bill sitting here?”

The millionaire said, “I'm waiting for someone to take it.”

“Ha,” said the third man. He snatched it up, shoved it in his pocket and loped away.

Two weeks went by. Again the millionaire sat at the Starbucks outdoor table in the sunshine. The first man, to whom he had given the $1000, paused beside his table.

“Hello,” said the millionaire. “What did you do with the money I gave you?”

The first man said, “I knew of an orphanage that desperately needed funds and gave it to them.”

“Well done!” said the millionaire. “Here's another $1,000.”

“Thank you,” said the first man and went on his way.

The second man stopped by the millionaire's table. “How are you, Sir?” he said.

The millionaire said, “Very well, thank you. What did you do with the $500 I gave you?”

The second man said, “I knew of a poor family with six children who had no money for food and gas. I gave it to them.”

“Well done!” said the millionaire. “Here's another $500.”

The second man said, “Thank you,” and went on his way.

The millionaire stood. He took a small mirror from his pocket.

The third man, who had snatched the $5 from the table, came by. The millionaire handed him the mirror. “Who do you see in that mirror?”

“Myself, of course,” the third man said.

“That is the image of a thief,” said the millionaire.

“Hey,” the man objected. “You said you were waiting for someone to take the money.”

“Yes,” said the millionaire, “but you weren't that someone. What did you do with it?”

“I played the slots and lost the whole thing.” And the third man shuffled away.

So, what is the moral of this story? That, dear reader, is up to you.

Luella Dow is a Cheney-area author who can be reached at lotsaplots1@aol.com.