I passed the test

I did it. I passed the test, the test of personal character. A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I were going to pick up dog food at our local Target in the mall. When we arrived, we overheard there was a Telemundo (Latin television) festival outside and decided to check it out. We’re young which means we never carry cash so we had to stop by a Bank of America ATM in the mall on our way outside. A lady was just finishing her transaction when we arrived. When she left we approached the machine and that’s when I noticed that she hadn’t closed out by pushing “exit,” or whatever else the command is called.

This is where my test was created - do I: a.) push “another transaction” and steal her money, potentially wiping out her entire balance or b.) push exit for her and go about my own business? I mean she was the idiot who doesn’t know how to bank properly, right? Without hesitation I did the right thing – I hit exit and put my own card in the machine to withdraw $20 from my own account.

I’m very pleased to look back on that instant because it confirms to me that I have a good character and I won’t steal from ladies in the mall even if their pocketbooks are open to me and no one is watching. If you don’t know who you are until you are pressed to act on your morals and values, then I am very glad to know that I’m not a thief-who-steals-from-women-who-don’t-know-how-to-bank-properly, or as it is more generally known, thief.