Every single coin was covered in dirty motor oil.
Then he taped my pay stub to an empty bucket and sneered, “Paid in full. Count it yourself.”
My two children watched from the porch as he drove away.
I didn’t scream or threaten him.
Instead, I spent the following days cleaning and rolling every penny.
But when the local elementary school discovered what I’d done with the money, the story spread across town.
The next morning, my phone rang.
“Becky,” the school cafeteria manager whispered, “your former boss is standing in my office. He’s asking for you.”