“Oh, look at that sight!” Hester said, smiling happily as he wiped the sweat from his upper lip. He took in a deep breath and let it out as he stared in awe at the nature before him. He had taken long walks to this mountain with his dog Roger several times, but the feeling of seeing the tall green trees, the majestic waterfall, and clear blue skies was something. Not only that, but he didn't think he could get used to it; it was always like the first time all the time.
Hester remembered the first day he'd discovered this location. It was after a bad day at work. Coupled with numerous calls from the hospital his mother was admitted to remind him about the payment for the bill, and his landlord also called for rent and other bills to settle… He'd left his car at work and let his feet guide him, and somehow he'd ended up here.
It became his special place, and he'd dubbed it “The Oasis”. Since discovering this place months ago, he'd come frequently to clear his head, mostly on weekends with his dog, Roger.
“Here, boy!” Hester called out to Roger, throwing a stick. He watched as Roger chased after it, tail wagging, scattering the leaves until he found it and returned happily to drop the now sloppy stick at Hester's feet. Hester picked it up, threw it again, and sat down on the ground.
“Okay, let's see. Rent has been paid, Mum has been discharged, but the price of her drugs is getting out of hand. Some bills have been paid, and there's food at home for now…even though there's no electricity,” Hester mumbled to himself. Taking an inventory of the situation and deciding to look on the bright side that he was alive, healthy, and would somehow clear all his debts.
He noticed the sun setting and realized he'd been up there for much longer than he intended. He whistled out to Roger, and they walked back down the path they'd created.
“Come on, Roger,” he called out to his dog, who was very curious and wanted to investigate everything and anything found on the path. He noticed Roger digging and circling something and barking at it. Hester sighed and picked up a stick just in case it was a snake or some other animal who also wanted to explore, not that he'd seen any up here before.
“Calm down, Roger,” he said calmly to the dog as he discovered it wasn't a snake or animal but a bag. “Look at that,” he thought to himself. “I thought I was the only one who knew about this place. I wonder what could be in the bag.”
“Ahhhh!!!” Hester shrieked as he opened the bag. Roger sat down, looking at him with ears bent and head cocked to one side.
“Don't look at me like that. I know I screamed like a girl, Roger. I've never seen anything like this my whole life,” Hester said, trying to compose himself.
Before them sat a big black bag filled to the brim with wads of cash. Hester looked around and called out a few times, but no one responded. He hurriedly grabbed the bag, ran to the car, and drove home.
“Good evening, Mum,” he said as he walked in, locking the door behind him and heading ing to the windows to peep through. Roger ran to his mother, who hugged him and began petting him.
“How was your evening, son?” his mother asked, looking at him with sharp green eyes behind her thick glasses.
“Fine,” he replied as he began pacing the floors and rubbing his hand on his trousers. Roger watched him for some seconds and barked as if to ask him to stop pacing and sit down.
“You're making poor Roger nervous. What is it? Grab a glass of water for me and then come tell me what the problem is because something is definitely wrong,” his mother said.
The journey to the kitchen took less than two minutes. They lived in a small, simple apartment with just one room, one bathroom, and the kitchen. Hester came back with a glass of cold tap water and watched as his mother took a sip, then placed it on the wooden table beside her.
“Start talking,” she said, staring at him with piercing green eyes. She listened raptly, and when Hester was done, she looked baffled and asked him, “So why did you bring the money home? This house is not a police station, is it?”
“Mum, that's a lot of money, and on the way home I was thinking… You know how badly we need money…” Hester replied, demonstrating wildly.
“Hester, that certainly is a lot of money, but it doesn't belong to you or me. You need to do the right thing; I raised you better,” his mother responded calmly.
“Mum, the way I see it, I have three choices: either I keep the money, I take it to the police station, or I remove part of it and take the rest to the police station,” he said to his mother, who was already shaking her head at his choices.
“Son, listen to me, you have only one choice, which is to take that money to the police station. Do not take a dime from it. If that amount of money is missing, it definitely belongs to someone, and believe me, whoever owns it is looking for it. So be wise and do the right thing.” She replied, finishing her glass of water and heading to the kitchen.
Hester sat on the floor, looking confused and unhappy. He knew his mother was right; he also knew he couldn't hold on to the money; his conscience wouldn't let him. But on the other hand, a voice in his head kept on whispering, “Think of all the things you could do with that money; all your problems could disappear.”
“I made dinner; you should eat and then head to the station,” his mother said, going into the bedroom to lie down.
“Mother, let me just think about it tonight, please,” Hester pleaded.
“I trust you to make the right decision, my darling. I love you, son, and remember, we may have problems, but don't let those problems drive you into more troubles,” his mother said, giving him a kiss.
That night Hester couldn't sleep; he jumped at the slightest sounds and checked the windows and the bag of money every three seconds. At some point it dawned on him that he wouldn't have peace. The following morning he was up and ready to go to the nearest police station at the crack of dawn. He arrived there and spoke to some officers, narrating how he'd found the money.
It turned out his mother had been right. Not only had the money been stolen from the home of a wealthy businessman, but the owner of the cash had placed a bounty on anyone who had information on or returned the money. The thieves had been apprehended but wouldn't say where the money was. Hester would have known all about it if he'd had electricity or bothered to be interested in the newspapers or the gossip about town.
If Hester had tried to spend a dime out of that money, he would have been apprehended and sentenced to jail for a crime he didn't even commit. The bounty money was enough to solve all his problems and set up a good business or investment. He thanked the officers, who asked him to come back at noon to meet with the owner of the stolen cash and claim his reward.
Hester walked to his car in a happy daze, whispering, “The Oasis, thank you.” He drove home, let himself into the house, and sat down, looking at Roger, who stared back at him with his tongue hanging out and a kind of grin on his face.
“Well, good morning, baby. How'd it go? I trust you made the right decision,” his mother asked as she walked out from the bedroom.
“I need you to accompany me to the police station at noon, and I just want to say thank you, Mother, for helping me make the proper choice, and thanks to Roger too for making us millionaires,” Hester replied, still in shock. His mother whooped with joy and sat down happily to listen to the rest of the events that had transpired at the police station.
