Yesterday morning, as I was heading into town to begin my dog-walking/pet-sitting rounds, I remembered that I needed something from the hardware store. There's a little place right on the main drag, and I was going right past it, so I decided to stop there. This is a true mom-and-pop enterprise, the kind of place that hangs family portraits over the register and sells local produce and preserves alongside hammers and nails. I was familiar with it, but I hadn't been there in a long time. As it turned out, my purchase was rather small and I didn't have enough cash. Actually, I didn't have ANY cash, and the amount was too little for the owner to charge. I was standing there, wracking my morning-fogged brain for ways I could make this work, when the owner pulled me out of my stupor.
"Do you live nearby?" he asked, and surprised, I answered that I did. "Then bring it to me when you can." Now, I had heard of store owners using honor systems before, in myth and legend, but had never experienced it myself, and certainly not here. I stuttered out a thank you and ran through the rain to my car, determined to hit an ATM as soon as I was finished with my rounds. Not two hours later, the gentleman had my $2.46.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon!" he exclaimed as I walked in, and I smiled at him. The amount might have been small, but the gesture of trust had not been. It made me glad to claim this town as mine.
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