Halloween
was a day for trick or treat, and I already knew which one I’d be getting when I walked into work that morning. As a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News, I’d seen plenty of my colleagues laid off. Reporters, photographers, librarians—the paper was shedding employees right and left. Now it was my turn. After delivering the bad news, my boss led me to Human Resources.
I hugged a few friends good-bye and hurried back to my car. When I tossed my purse on the seat beside me, I saw the
notice sticking out. The post office was holding a letter I had to sign for. The errand would give me time to compose myself before heading home to my husband, who was also out of work.
There was a line at the post office, and I used the time to worry. Subsisting on one salary was hard enough on our family. Now how would we make ends meet?
Finally, I stepped up to the counter and slid the notice to the clerk. She handed me a plain envelope addressed to me and sent with a return
receipt. I signed for the letter. Just don’t let it be bad news, I prayed. Inside was an official-looking letterhead from a law office in San Antonio, Texas. A check was paper clipped to a brief typewritten note: “Please accept this gift from someone who asked me to track you down because the party wishes to remain anonymous.”
I turned the check over to see the amount: $10,000.
“Next,” said the postal clerk.
I moved aside so I could examine the check more closely. It looked
real. But was it some kind of marketing gimmick? Or an elaborate Halloween hoax? I didn’t know anyone in Texas....
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