Change

I ordered a cup of milo peng and a can of coke, handing over a $5 bill to the elderly lady at the drinks stall. She returned me $7.60. Instinctively, I told her in hokkien that I only gave her $5 and returned her the $5 bill that she gave me as part of the "change".

As I related the incident to Jia an as I sat down at the table, it struck me that if I had not returned the change, our supper would be free. I started to regret returning the change. Why didn't I just keep quiet? Then I gave myself a mental slap, thinking instead of how as a kid I would have returned excess change happily and willingly without any regrets as I had just a moment ago. The comforting thought is that at least I instinctively returned the change. Or maybe that's just my upbringing, and given free reign, my inner self would happily have pocketed the extra five bucks.

It's scary, at least to me. And it makes me realise how important it is to guard my heart, and my mind, against such moral declines into debauchery.