Where's the beef

This is really difficult to write. I hate how hard honesty is and its instant effects or defects for that matter.  While at the grocery store the other night I bought a steak from the deli.  There was a new guy working the counter and he was actually walking around and talking to customers and showing them different things on sale in the meat case, freezer sections, and deli.  Very helpful, and a very good salesman, I fell for it and bought the chicken too.  He even “chatted me up” while he was packaging my purchase talking about movies and asking about my hobbies and all I could think to say was “I like writing.”  When I got to the check out and putting things on the conveyor, I noticed the label on the steak said bacon….not filet mignon.  Oh my, what to do?  Did he do it on purpose, was it a mistake, do I put everything back in my cart and go back to the deli? Would my little 5 ounce steak cost the same as the fancy bacon?  If I tell the cashier will the deli guy get in trouble, will he have to lie?  Then out of nowhere, he walked by the checkout and said “enjoy your filet”.  I couldn’t believe it.  Did he know he just sealed his own fate?  I don’t even have to say anything because the cashier is going to notice that I didn’t have a filet?  I started bagging my own groceries and almost forgot until it was time to pay.  My bill was rather expensive and I questioned in my head, did she ring it up as a steak anyhow.  Where did she bag it?  Can I show her the label? I just kept going.  Why?  Why did I not take the opportunity to talk to someone?  Why didn’t I take the time to talk to him?  I went home and started cooking vegetables and packing my lunch for the next day.  As the vegetables were about to finish, I started putting away the rest of the groceries anticipating starting my steak.  Are you ready for this?  No steak.  It wasn’t there.  God did for me what I couldn’t do for myself.  No steak and not even the $10 worth of chicken.  It’s like that’s what I get for not telling the truth.  NO DINNER.   I called the store and of course they still had it.  I prepared my receipt with the name of my blog site on it and I was going to put the price tag sticker from the “bacon” on the receipt and take it to the young man in the deli and remind him of the value of his integrity and honor. Driving to the store, all I could think of is what happened to my integrity and honor?  When I got there I followed the manager to the fridge, I stopped to take the label off the bacon and affix it to the receipt and then I stopped to get a new bag because the one I had was ripped (ewwwwww raw chicken)  But I couldn’t find him, he had gone in the back butcher area.  I left and drove home.  Here comes the next twist.   About half way home I realized I didn’t have my phone. My phone with my credit cards, debit card, license, everything.  I turned around and frantically went back into the store retracing my steps and not finding it.  BUT as I was looking around I heard a voice say, “oh, you’re back!”  The deli guy was walking out the door. I was so distracted and flustered I said “oh yeah I am.”   When I turned to see it was him I was bummed because now I didn’t have the receipt, it was in my car.  I looked around at one more cashier stand for my phone and was compelled to chase him out the door yelling “majito, majito!” but he didn’t hear me.  I ran to my car again to look for my phone and anxiously drove home hoping to find my phone there. I got home. No phone. Panic at its finest.  Back to the store I went.  This time I asked someone.  “oh yeah, here it is” one of the cashiers said.  Phewwwwwh.  Someone turned it in.  Money, cards, phone, everything.  Safe and sound.  I thanked God all the way home for honest people.  How ironic, after all of my struggle over the last hour with dishonesty, my day was saved by someone’s honesty.  Was it because I had good intentions?  Was it because he had good intentions?  Was it because there really still are good people?  Honest people. I truly believe honesty is the foundation of everything.  No one can take our ability to be honest.  It's yours. It is never the wrong choice to do the next right thing.  It is never the wrong choice to be honest, with little things, or big things, any things…even bacon.