This story made me happy!

MegCanada · Jun 29, 2011

I love stories of human decency, kindness and honesty, and this is a particularly good example of all that:

Life full of choices to do right

Woman lost $1,200 on way to Ottawa

By Kelly Egan

If you found $1,200 cash in an unmarked envelope, what would you do?

Choices, choices. Life’s full of them.

Elizabeth Rajanayagam, 49, was moving from Toronto to Ottawa to take a job with the federal public service. She was driving along Highway 401, ahead of the moving van, when she stopped for gas near Port Hope. Clipped to her wallet was the cash-bearing envelope, withdrawn to pay the moving company.

She bought $53 of gas with her credit card at 1:15 p.m. It was June 20.

When she arrived in Ottawa, she met the van at a downtown storage warehouse. She looked at the wallet. No envelope. Bad words were uttered.

She rushed to the bank to withdraw more money; settling up with the movers. “I figured I would go home, have a glass of wine, and kiss the $1,200 goodbye.”

Now what? The only place she stopped was the gas station. She looked at the receipt. The Village Variety Store and Esso on Hwy. 2. It had an impossible address: Welcome, Ont.

The number in the phone book didn’t work. She tried 411, with no success, finally calling the OPP, who provided the right co-ordinates.

When she called, an older man said he knew nothing about a lost envelope, but took her number.

Elizabeth, it turns out, had been served by the man’s son, Rob Vaid, 40. It is a family-run business, open seven days a week, 15 hours a day.

Vaid said it was especially busy that day. After a flurry of five or six customers, he noticed the envelope on his counter. He took a peek.

“My heart just about stopped. It was all $100 bills.”

He rewound the store’s video recorder. Sure enough, there was a woman at the cash, paying her bill, then having the envelope slip out. But who was she?

He put the envelope in the store safe, went on with his day, including picking up his kids from school. His mother remarked later that night that a woman had called looking for a lost envelope. Bingo. Rob called straight away.

Elizabeth had a friend who had a friend in Port Hope. He drove over, picked up the cash and deposited it in her account, first leaving Rob a $100 reward.

“It was well worth it,” said Vaid. “I feel like the store is like an extension of my home and it was left here, not by the side of the road.”

Elizabeth, meanwhile, thinks the story is good karma for her move to Ottawa, with the slight detour in Welcome. On the eve of Canada Day, a woman of Sri Lankan heritage being rescued by the honesty of an East Indian family; a modern morality play.

“It was cool,” said Elizabeth. “I thought I’d bought a $1,200 tank of gas.”

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Kelly+Egan+Life+full+choices+right/5020443/story.html#ixzz1QgPQMqMQ
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Jackie · Jun 29, 2011

Oh, wow!!! What a super guy! Isn't it nice to know not ALL the world is going to hell in a handbasket?

Birbitt · Jun 29, 2011

That is a great story! It gives me a little hope for humanity after all. So much of my days are spent dealing with the worst humans have to offer, that it's nice to see something like this!

ERue · Jun 29, 2011

What a wonderful story. People really can be so kind.

sloan127 · Jun 30, 2011

I've always known that the world is full of good people. It is just the bad ones that get most of the publicity. I love reading stories about good people doing good things. Makes me want to meet them.

azhomeschooler · Jun 30, 2011

Great story!

katshu · Jun 30, 2011

Awesome! It's good to show the kids that not everything they read about in the news/online is bad.

Brenda · Jun 30, 2011

I love fairy tale endings !!

KrisRV · Jul 1, 2011

what a wonderful story..

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