Possibilities Imagined

"Aaah!" I let out an involuntary yelp as warm (thankfully not scalding) coffee splashed onto the brand new black Moleskine notebook I'd laid out on the bench beside me. Maybe sitting outside in the park not far from a coffee van hadn't been the best idea after all.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" I looked up into the startled green eyes of my assailant, woefully holding a now three-quarter empty cup of coffee in front of him.

I grabbed the notebook and tipped the coffee off the cover, onto the ground, "No worries, I'm sure it will be fine," I reassured him. It was clearly an accident.

"Please let me buy you a new notebook to make up for ruining this one," He said imploringly, "I don't carry cash, but if you give me your bank details, I'll transfer it."

"Don't worry about it, accidents happen," I protested.

"No, it's completely my fault that your notebook is ruined, I hope the pages are still readable, but I feel really bad that this happened,"

"Ok, if it makes you feel better," I relented and pulled out my phone, looking up my bank details and reeling off the numbers for him so he could type them into his banking app.

"Thanks," he said," I've sent you $20 for a new one, so sorry this happened, but I've got to run, I'm late for a meeting."

"All good mate, have a good day," I said as he hurried off down the path, no doubt to one of the office buildings that surrounded the park. I stared after him, somewhat bemused. It was nice to see someone taking responsibility for something and taking the time to fix things- presumably he was now even later for his meeting having stopped to get my bank details and pay for the notebook he damaged.

I leant back against the bench and stared down at the Moleskine. The black cover still looked okay, although the wet splash mark was visible and down the side the staining of the white pages made it look like an aged novel. Good thing it was new and I hadn't started writing in it yet. I had the afternoon off my work, so I had time to go and buy a new one.

I opened my banking app to see whether the money had come through yet and there was something strange when I opened it. I blinked a few times to focus my sight, tilting my head in confusion. The number in my account was much higher than it should have been. I tapped onto the account to open up the list of the recent transactions, confused at what I was seeing. It opened and the latest transaction, only moments ago, was a deposit of $20,000. My jaw dropped and my head whipped up to stare down the now empty path where my unintentional benefactor had just disappeared.

I hopped off the bench, gathered all my things and hurried down the path to see if I could catch up. My thoughts were running wild, spiralling with possibilities! What if I couldn't find him? I didn't even know his name! $20,000! Think of all the things I could do with that- add it to my home deposit savings! Put it towards a new car! Pay off my university debt, presents for my family, donate to my favourite charities... But what if he really needed it? It might have been sitting in his account ready to pay for something important, something for his family. But what if he didn't need it- maybe he was genuinely rich enough to have that kind of cash in his everyday account and be able to transfer it to a stranger without any of the usual checks the banking app normally required? Maybe he wouldn't miss it?

But I didn't think I could live with the guilt of having this money that wasn't mine- he specifically said he was transferring $20, not $20,000!. I kept jogging down the path, scanning the people in front of me, and thankful I'd worn sneakers today, rather than boots. I kept my eyes scanning ahead. Eventually I spotted him just as he headed into a building in the distance. I jogged a bit faster now I had a target, focusing my efforts on catching up to him, and weaving my way around the others on the path.

"I swung into the building and looked around. I was in a lobby area so I approached the reception desk. "Excuse me, the man who just walked in here, could you please tell me where he went? He left something behind at the park."

She smiled at me in welcome, "Good morning, I'm afraid Mr Galbraith has just gone into an important meeting, perhaps you could leave it with me I can make sure Mr Galbraith gets it once his meeting has concluded?" She offered.

I cringed," It's a bit awkward," I explained the circumstance of him spilling his coffee and how that lead to me being the unintended recipient of $20,000. She giggled, "Somehow I'm not surprised, Mr Galbraith deals in large dollars every day, he's probably so used to adding three zeros onto the end of every figure he writes that he didn't notice. In that case, maybe take a seat," she indicated the comfortable lounge chairs in the lobby, "and I'll ask him to come out here once his meeting's over. It should only be an hour, and i can get you a glass of water if you like? The coffee here isn't good, which is why everyone goes to the van in the park," she explained.

I sighed, the lounge chairs did look comfortable, I really did want to get this sorted quickly, I didn't want this hanging over my head. "Sure, sounds good." I headed over to a comfy lounge chair and sank into it. Pulling out my sodden Moleskine, which still had some drier pages at the back, I decided to amuse myself by writing down all the things I could spend 20 grand on. I started with the things that had run through my head when I was chasing after Mr Galbraith, and then added a few more, some sensible, and some less so. A Round-the-World trip would be nice... Ooh, a Puppy! COVID lockdowns had been lonely without a companion, and with this kind of money I could actually afford to get a puppy (the prices of which had risen steeply during COVID), one from a reputable breeder, with all the health and temperment testing, not just a random puppy advertised on an online marketplace that may or may not just be an ad with stolen photos and no real puppies, or even worse- a stolen puppy being sold onto an unsuspecting buyer. I'd heard that was becoming common with the demand so high for puppies at the moment. I could go to a real breeder and get a long-awaited companion. I sat there and dreamed of a cute bundle of fluff while I waited, and all the things i could spoil it with for 20 grand.

"Hi again," for the second time today I looked up at Mr Galbraith, who had approached while I was still daydreaming. "My receptionist said I left something with you earlier?" He seemed confused.

"Yes, hi," I stood up, "You transferred me $20,000 instead of $20, so I just need your bank details now to transfer it back to you."

His eyes opened wide in surprise, "Really, are you sure?" He frowned down at his phone as he opened his app to check. His eyebrows raised and he chuckled as he read his screen, "Wow, I can't believe I did that. Thank you for coming to find me," he looked relieved. "I'm about to buy a house, and moved the money into my everyday account to make it easy to pay the deposit, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't noticed. I don't think I would have noticed until much later." He looked so appreciative and I was relieved I'd found him to give the money back. As much as I might have dreamed about the puppy and the holidays, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it on money that was accidentally received. "No problem, I'm glad I managed to find you."

I transferred the funds back, minus the $20, and stayed until both our bank accounts were reflecting the correct amounts. "Thanks again," he said as I left, bemused at how my day had gone. It was time to go and buy a new Moleskine.