A PENNY SAVED

Ready to scrape the leftover meatloaf from a dinner plate into the garbage, I happened to look down and saw a shiny copper penny sitting on the top of the trash. I stopped mid-scrape and reached in to pull it out.

“Did someone accidentally drop this in the trash?” I asked as I held up the penny to show my husband, Steven and our boys.

“That was me.” Max said as he put his plate on the counter. “It wasn't by accident. It's just a penny so I threw it away.”

“You're throwing away money?” Steven sounded surprised.

“I was cleaning out my pockets.” Max explained, but when he looked at Steven and me with our mirrored looks of shock, I guess he felt the need to explain further. “It was only a penny!” he said. “It's not that big a deal!”

Steven and I just looked at each other. “Where did we go wrong?” he asked me.

I had to agree with him on this because when it came to found money Steven and I had the same outlook. If you saw a quarter, dime, nickle, or even a penny, you picked it up and considered it a lucky day.

In fact, I can still remember something that happened that made me fall deeper in love with Steven when we were first dating. We were driving down the street when Steven suddenly pulled over. “I think I just saw a dollar bill blow across the street.” He jumped out of the van, ran across the street into an empty field and within moments had the bill in his hand, waving it at me as he ran back across the street. “It was a five!” he said as he climbed back in the van, a huge smile on his face. He put the five on the console before we headed back on our way. I remember picking up that five and realizing I would have done the exact same thing if I'd been the one who saw the bill tumbling across the street.

Now, whenever we're out together, for a walk around the block or just out shopping, one of us is always looking down, ready to find the next lucky coin or bill. Over the years it's become a game for us.

I looked back at Max and asked. “How could anyone throw money away?”

“Don't look at me!” Alex said as he backed out of the room. “I have a change jar. All my loose change goes in there.”

“Exactly!” I looked back at Max. “You never ever throw money away!”

“Oh, come on! It's just a penny!” Max said.

“Pennies are money too.” Steven answered.

Max looked at Steven and I shaking his head in disbelief. Then he smiled, “What if I told you I had three pennies in my pocket when I was cleaning them out?” He gave a quick laugh before he left the room.

My gasp was audible. I looked over at Steven. “Do you believe him?” I asked then looked back into the garbage pail.

“I don't know.” Steven said as he shrugged his shoulders. “But I think I'm going to draw the line about found money when I have to dig to the garbage for it.” He too, left the room.

Leaving only me, staring into the trash wondering if I felt the same way he did.