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“Why had I not listened to Mum?” I thought, as shivering terribly. It was raining cats and dogs. I was soaked to the bone! Mum had told me to take an umbrella, but I had turned a deaf ear against her. Cold clasped me as I shivered like I had been electrocuted. My mood matched the horrible weather. Today was a terrible day. I had woken up, my veins tingling with excitement, a huge grin plastered on my face but as the day went on, it turned out to be a series of disappointments! My friend and I had planned to go to East Coast Mall and play in the arcade. We had also planned many more fun-filled activities.

However, all that one hour of planning had gone down the drain. I had gone to my friend’s, Mia’s home, my steps light and happy. However a rude shock awaited me. Mia was sick! She could not come after all. Dejected, I was now walking to the bus stop, getting drenched. Drops of the rain water dotted my glasses, making it hard for me to see. I was almost there. Only ten metres away from the bus stop. My steps were heavy and slow. The bus had arrived. I pulled out my wallet from my soaked bag and tapped in.

I heaved a sigh of relief and took a seat at the back of the bus. There were very few people, including a well dressed business man, an elderly lady and a kid who looked no older than ten years old. Today had been such a tiring day. I felt as if I could fall asleep any second now. My eyelids felt heavy, but I forcefully opened them. Then suddenly, something caught my eye.

It was a bright brown leather and looked very formal. “Leave it alone. Ignore it.” I told myself. However curiosity soon got the better of me. I leant forward, bent down and grabbed the wallet. I went back to my seat and opened the wallet. A gasp escaped my lips. I tried to keep my calm demeanour but I could not contain my shock. Aghast, I stared at the wallet, in a trance. There was so much money inside it! To think of all the things I could do with so much money! The possibilities were endless. But, what if someone needed it? I opened the wallet again and took out the id card. The photo matched exactly to that of the businessman who was dressed impeccably. It had to be his. The man clearly had not noticed his loss yet and looked as if he was about to get down soon.

I was in a dilemma. Torn between two choices, I clutched my head tightly as I weighed the pros and cons of each scenario. On one hand, if I kept the money for myself, then I could buy a birthday gift for my friend and the new game I had been longing for. However what if the man really needed the money and could not tap out of the bus without his id card? I could not make someone suffer just for my personal gain. On the other hand, I could return the wallet to the man and he would be reunited with his possession. However, then I would not be able to buy the game I had been longing to buy! I bit my nails as a storm raged on inside my head.

After weighing the pros and cons of each situation, several times, I made up my mind. I walked towards the man, who was now frantically checking his pockets. He must have realized that he had lost his wallet. Mastering up all my courage, I walked up to the man and tapped him lightly. “Um... Excuse me, is this your wallet? You looked like you were searching for something.” I squeaked like a mouse. The man’s eyes lit up and he broke into a grin. “Thank you so much! You are such a kind person. You have a lot of integrity,” the man praised me, patting me on the back jubilantly. “I work in a badge company and I always have a badge on hand for situations like these. Would you like one?” the man asked me. I nodded eagerly, pleasantly surprised. He handed me a badge, before alighting the bus. On the colourful badge there were the words: I helped someone Today engraved in a bright blue colour. I smiled as I held it close to my heart.

This experience was forever etched deep into my heart, just like how that badge sits on my desk till this very day. I had learnt two important things. One, the importance of integrity which was doing the right thing even when no one was watching. I had also learnt about the worthlessness of doing the right thing and helping people, expecting nothing in return just like how I helped that man.