The Two Dollar Bill

Four large men walked into the old mercantile store at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Scotty watched the men as they each slid the door open on the old chest freezer and pulled out an RC Cola. He then followed them over with his eyes to the large burlap sacks filled with peanuts and each man scooped some out.
Scotty was 11 years old and had worked at his father’s mercantile store for as long as he could remember. From the early ages, he was taught to count back change as he stood on two milk crates just to reach the old cash register. Now at 11 he had grown enough to abandon the milk crates.
After awhile Scotty took his eyes off the four men and began to notice his father talking to a strange man in the back of the store. Every so often, he would hear them laugh or hear the sound of another Pall Mall being lit up. Scotty now looked up at the four large men standing in front of him at the counter. He noticed three of the men stood still as only one reached for his wallet. This was a clear indication that this man was paying for the 4 sodas and 4 bags of peanuts. Scotty rang up the items.
“That will be $1.75” he said in a confident and manly voice.
The man reached in his billfold and handed Scotty a two dollar bill. The bill was crisp and sharp around the edges as it gleamed with President Thomas Jefferson looking back at him. Scotty smiled handing the man back his change.
“Thanks buddy” the man said and Scotty watched all four men walk out of the store.
Scotty held up the Two dollar bill to admire it one more time before sticking it in the old black register.

“Son, what are you doing” the voice said from the background and Brian looked up to see his father and the other man walking up to the counter.
“Dad, look they paid with a two dollar bill isn’t that neat” Scotty said quickly scanning over every edge of the bill.
“Wow, now that is pretty neat” his father said trying to muster the same enthusiasm that his son was displaying.
Scotty looked the bill over one more time, turning it over and reading each word on the back. “The kids at school would love to see this” he thought.
Scotty’s dad noticed how much his son had taken to the bill.
“Scotty, I’ll tell you what, how would you like to have that two dollar bill?” his father asked.
Scotty became very torn on how to answer this, he would love to have the bill but he also knew they couldn’t afford it. The father seen the disappointed look fall on Scotty’s face and he quickly stepped in.
“I’ll tell you what; I have to go out for a couple of hours with this gentleman. If you’ll watch the store while I’m gone you can have that two dollar bill and every two dollar bill that comes across the counter”.
“Really” Scotty said, now excited with the idea of possibly getting more bills.
He had worked at the store long enough to know that Two dollar bills were an oddity, kind of like a wheat penny. But the thought of the idea still made Scotty excited.
“Okay dad” he said now excited.

Scotty’s dad winked at his son and walked out the door with the strange man. Scotty was not alone in the mercantile store very long. Two more men walked into the store and quickly grabbed a bag of lays potato chips and RC cola’s. Scotty punched the keys on the old register. The total for the first man was .75 cents; the man quickly grabbed a crisp two dollar bill out of his wallet and laid it on the counter in front of Scotty. Scotty stared at the bill, but he did not have time to be excited because in walked more customers each grabbing a few items and waiting in line to be checked out.
To Scotty’s amazement they all paid with two dollar bills. Mr. Patterson bought five dollars in gas and gladly paid with two dollar bills. Mrs. Knight bought soda pops and hard candy for all four of her little brats and paid again with two dollar bills. Before to long Scotty could not keep count with all the two dollar bills he was shoving into the drawer, but he knew there was a bunch. More customers that Scotty knew rushed thru the front doors buying cigarettes, candy, soda pops, and gas and all paying with two dollar bills.
Mr. Tate bought six dollars worth of groceries and paid with a crisp ten dollar bill. Scotty frowned at the man while he gave his change back, but the disappointment didn’t last, as more people paid with two dollar bills. After an hour or so Scotty’s fingers grew tired and the customers began to thin out. By 6:00 p.m. Scotty checked out Mrs. Bates and yes she too paid with two dollar bills. Mrs. Bates thanked Scotty, pinching him on the cheek and then rushed out the front door.
Scotty stood quietly in the store making sure all customers had left. Just when he realized all was safe he heard the bell above the front door ring. It was his father and the strange man from earlier. He overheard the conversation they were having and quickly knew what it was about. The strange man was from the bank and his father would have to close the store. Scotty began weeping uncontrollably trying to hold back the tears but the harder he tried the worse he cried.
“Scotty, what’s wrong son?” The father asked as he walked over to Scotty and ran his arm over Scotty’s back ever so gently patting him for comfort.
Scotty let his eyes gaze at the drawer on the old black cash register and his father became alarmed. Scotty’s father opened the drawer and to his amazement seen the large stack of two dollar bills stuffed in the left hand side of the register drawer. Scotty’s father pulled the bills out and began counting them quickly; after he was done there lay 54 crisp two dollar bills.
“WOW! Where did they all come from” Scotty’s father said as he figured the total in his head.
“That’s a $108.00 son” Scotty now looked up at his father, tears still streaming down his face.
“I know I can’t keep ‘em, daddy, I know we need the money” he said and tried to give a reassuring look to his father.
His father looked at the bills and then back at his son. Scotty’s father folded the large stack of bills and stuffed them in the front pocket of his son’s shirt. They barely fit as they created a large bulge in the front of Scotty’s shirt.
“Keeping my word to you is more important than any money” he said as he lifted his son’s chin, to look at his water filled eyes.
“The deal was for you to keep em and I aim for you to keep em” Scotty’s father said and then ruffled his head with his hand.

“Now get out here, spend the money on whatever you want” The father said. Scotty jumped up and took off out the door hoping his father wouldn’t change his mind.
“Just don’t loose ‘em” he added but Scotty never heard him.
Just then Frank Delbick walked in to pay for $3.50 in gas and as you know it he paid with two dollar bills. Scotty’s father looked puzzled at the bills.
“Frank, where are these coming from?” he asked.
“You don’t know? Bentley Manufacturing paid all their employees with two dollar bills this week” He then gave a nod and walked quickly out the door.
Scotty’s father stared at the banker in disbelief and then they both began laughing.
It seems the promise Scotty’s father kept with his son didn’t go unnoticed. The next day the banker contacted the local newspaper to report the good deed. A story was written and it included how business had been slow for the small mercantile store and how thru it all his father still kept his word. By Sunday, the day the story circulated, customers swarmed in by the dozens, buying everything from gas to lunch meat and if they could not find what they needed well they just bought something anyway. Business stayed booming for several weeks and never really ever slowed down.
One Monday morning Scotty stood outside the store with his father waiting for the school bus to arrive.
“You know son I think we’re gonna be okay” Scotty’s father said looking down at his son with a smile.
“I think so too, dad” Scotty said as they both watched the hoards of customers pulling up and parking at the small mercantile store.

Awsome story!

yeps good one