I went to two grocery stores today. At the first one, an Amish couple in the line next to mine had difficulty using their debit card. Apparently, although they had plenty of money in the bank, the bank denied them their $240 “request” to pay for their food. The reason? They had already used about the same sum at another store earlier in the day. I realize banks do this to prevent credit card/ debit card theft. But… When I’d left the store, the bank (card) still wouldn’t allow them even to pay for part of their groceries. Makes me long for the good old days of paying with cash only (or bartering).

At the other grocery store, I purchased the 5 items the first one didn’t have. The older couple behind me (with only 3 items) pointed to the check-out magazines and commented on a particular celebrity who has been in the news a lot lately. “So sad,” commented the woman. I thought about the pre-nup agreement by the intended person receiving sympathy, the $20 million if she stayed married to him for 10 years, and now the millions she’ll get anyway in a divorce. “Everyone has choices,” I said. “He was tempted,” defended the man. “We’re all tempted,” I countered, “and we, too, have choices, to choose the honorable or not.”  I was sounding way too righteous, but personally know this statement to be true.

“You know how many properties this guy owns?” the man said, quickly changing the subject.

I laughed. “There’s only so much you can do with a million dollars.” I thought a second. “I’d probably give it away. Of course, I say that now.”

I don’t have millions of dollars, and don’t know what I’d do with it if I did. But my characters can, if I wanted… hmmm. It’s all out there for the taking, all the story lines any writer could ever want. I left the story humming the Fiddler’s song, “If I were a rich man.”