Integrity

There are moments when my faith in humanity is restored.  Have you read or heard about the young Dairy Queen manager who witnessed a blind man drop a $20 bill only to have another customer quickly scoop it up?  The manager asked her to return the $20 to its rightful owner or he would refuse to serve her.  She objected and eventually left.  Then the manager approached the blind man and gave him $20 out of his own wallet.

The bad example of the female customer aside, the manager did what we would hope most people would do.  I wonder sometimes in these days of plagiarism and bullying where we are heading as a nation, as a people.  I have written a character in my book who tries to be impeccably honest.  I have wondered if readers would believe such a person could exist - should, yes, but could?

This 19-year-old manager from Dairy Queen didn't tell his own story, a customer observed what happened and wrote to tell Dairy Queen.  Not only does the behavior of the manager encourage me, but also that of the watching customer.  It tells me that really good people do exist, and that others want to see such behavior.

That is more important than whether my character is believable or not.  It gives me hope.