Moments of Honesty

Tonight, while closing the restaurant where I work, a gentleman walked in. I stopped sweeping for a moment and started to apologize and tell him that we had closed 15 minutes earlier, when he placed a quarter on the counter. He smiled, and explained that the last time he was in the restaurant, he'd been short a quarter, and we'd told him not to worry about it. He was taking the opportunity to make sure our register wasnt short.

I was so shocked by this that I stuttered out a thanks as he left. Then my co-worker pointed out how SAD it is that in this day and age, acts of honesty are shocking things. At the same time, it put me in a good mood.

What acts of honesty have you witnessed? Or even better, was there a time when you know you could have short-changed someone, or walked away with something, and didnt? Were you ever the one to shock a waitress or cashier or the like?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Sadly, I can't recall any times that I have, because I am a thieving, lying twat.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

"Honestly?" I'd rather hear more stories of honesty biting people in the ass.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Because you derive pleasure from other people's misery. Nice.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Couldn't be further from the truth, actually.

PS: Hi, racin. Still in pussy mode, I see.

Additional Spam:
Aw, no stories, guys?

I was speaking idiomatically.

I had a more recent moment of honesty a couple of months back.

Up in Alberta I was in Dairy Queen and I had just ordered what I usually order which is Flamethrower Meal Deal with a Blizzard. The people behind the counter were extremely busy so I got my Blizzard relatively fast, but I was waiting on my other meal for a good while. All of a sudden one of the girls who worked at dairy queen gave me another blizzard. I told her that I didn't want it because I already had one. What was really kind of unique about the moment is that I was standing next to a mom with her two kids, and when I did that she said to her kids when she seen me give the blizzard; you could learn a positive example from this nice gentleman. It kind felt good, but I was a little embarrased she put me right on the spot.

There were other times in which my wife and I found somebody's wallet with 100 dollars in it at ATM section of our local bank, and we drove all the way to the university ot return to university security because the only thing we had to go by in terms of who owned was the person's student ID.

I can't think of times in which I have noticed somebody conduct a moment of honest, but I know I have witnessed it on occassion.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Moment of untruth: When I was back in Vegas I was working this really awesome traveling horse show called Cavalia(look it up). I was an usher and one day after the show I was cleaning up and I found something hidden in the corner of one of the chairs. I pull it out and it's about $250 I think. I was so shocked and I really really needed the money at that time so I kept it.

Moment of shock: Here in Idaho, I had a job at a bar for like 2 weeks and one day I was serving these 2 really big burly Mexican guys. They ordered drinks and a burger and a steak. They left that night without paying and I had to pay for it from my tips and I only walked out with about $10 that night. I was off the next day and my co-worker calls me and says, "You're not gonna believe this but those 2 guys that walked out on you last night came back this morning and paid what they owe." I was shocked. First, I was shocked they came back first thing in the morning, and second that 2 guys at a bar, of all things would come back and pay.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

Couldn't be further from the truth, actually.

PS: Hi, racin. Still in pussy mode, I see.

Additional Spam:
Aw, no stories, guys?

Hahaha FUCKIN' DISSED. Man, nobody likes you, Eric.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Jessykins <3

Hahaha FUCKIN' DISSED. Man, nobody likes you, Eric.

Now, now, 8 whole people and up won't get me down. It's like a victory each time I get a diss and none of them actually come in and share their little magic tales of daring wonder like we were all back in elementary school talking about values and shit.

Some serious elementary school shit right here, lemme tell you.

I got left behind at the vehicle wash racks right toward the end of my deployment in Iraq. There's this huge thing in the Army about never leaving anyone behind, always having accountability. So I was pretty damned pissed to be left behind the last weekend of October 2007 after letting folks know I was headed to the rest area while we waited for our ride back to another base camp in Kuwait.

Turns out what had happened was the Sergeant who was supervisor for the folks from my unit said that he was "up" on numbers without having actually taken a headcount. It was some serious Home Alone shit when they got back and realized they had left me back at the racks.

Now, the thing about this was that I had told my own folks I was gonna be at the break area. You could not imagine the attempts made by several folks in my chain of command who so wanted to bust me for negligence but couldn't because of the fact I told damn near every person in the wash crew where I was. It was a pretty good laugh at my expense, but I have to admit that the fact that no one who actually had to be held accountable at that time wanted to just man the fuck up and tell me to my face "Hey, we fucked up."

Granted, that Sergeant tried to make amends, he never went whole hog in admitting that he had just left me without taking a head count. There was always a "But you should know the flow of your fellow team members" and shit. I'm not sure how you come to that conclusion while sitting on your ass for nearly 3 hours waiting to get picked up from another base camp in a non-hostile zone, but there you go.

Well... actually, there was one guy who fessed up.

Sergeant First Class Symonds. Pay Grade E7, working toward his retirement in the US Army. I'll never forget that man, from the time I worked with him at an out site earlier that year during the deployment to what little contact I had with him during my short month at the wash racks in Kuwait. He did his best within the military system to take care of his people, directly or indirectly in his command or, in this case, authority. While he wasn't directly in charge of me, he seemed to be the only one to realize the gravity of what had happened that day where I was left behind.

The potential ramifications of what would have happened if our Battalion Commander and Sergeant Major would have found out would have resulted in a few reprimands and even a few demotions. Possibly my own if I hadn't done what I did to cover my own ass at that time.

When people you would supposedly die for/with/etc, leave you for the sake of, all things, a few hours of down time... it doesn't say a lot about the military you're in and the people you serve with. And that never sat well with SFC Symonds. He pulled me aside that evening and, fighting back tears of all things, told me that it wasn't my fault and that it was a fucked up situation I was put in. That it was an embarrassment to the United States Army and the people who called themselves leaders to just take off and leave someone just to get home a little faster.

"I know what a lot of people are trying to spin this as, but it wasn't your fault, and I'm sorry you went through this."

People aren't honest because it's fucking sunshine. They aren't honest because they want to get back at someone. People emit honesty and act sincerely because they have a sense of character and worth that's actually worth more than a cheap fucking smile at the end of the day or a worthless gesture.

I like hearing about people who get fucked over being honest not because I want to see someone fucked over, but because it reminds me that this isn't some limp-wristed, fatalist shit to tell the truth and be honest. I got all of that garbage when I was a child. You do it because you're paying forth something better to your fellow man than cheap sentiment, it makes society better when you're real about what honesty means.

So fuck anyone who thought I wanted to get a cheap internet laugh outta people.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

At the risk of being mega-dissed like Rotor, I have my own story to tell.

Once, after just getting a lovely union contracted huge paycheck, I went to In and Out burger for some lunch. On my way in, I see some fairly scraggly looking woman asking people for change, saying she's hungry and so on. I just got paid, I'm in a good mood, so what the hell. I hand this chick ten bucks, tell her to get some food. I go inside and happily enjoy my burger, feeling like I'd done some good for someone.

On my way out, I see her again in the same spot. This time with a six pack of beer, and a double-double with some fries. I stop, look at her incredulously and she smiles up at me. She says, "Break time," as she pops open a beer and begins eating. Speechless, I just walk away angry. She pulls out a cell phone and starts texting someone as I walk off, probably to say how they totally swindled some chick.

There's my thread contribution. Just adding to the fun.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Had a haircut some time ago when I paid the guy 10 cents short. Went home (only one block from my place) and paid him in full, to their amazement. Best feeling I felt that day.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

When I had a paper round I once found a tenner on someone's driveway, carelessly discarded. I posted it through the letterbox with their newspaper. Doesn't sound like much but I was only earning £15 a week at the time.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?