DEAR ABBY: I am the man who found the $42 in the glove compartment of the secondhand car I had recently purchased. And I am married to a woman of good character in Anchorage, Alaska. Here is the rest of the story:
Since pocketing the $42, I have put that much (and more) into this vehicle, after replacing the brakes and a computer part, and being towed twice. I find I am now $550 in the hole -- minus the $42.
Rabbi Botnick related the parable about the rabbi whose students had bought him a donkey to help him in his business of selling flax. The students were amazed to find a precious pearl attached to the neck of the donkey, whereupon they informed the rabbi that he could retire -- a rich man!
The rabbi responded, "I bought a donkey, not a pearl," and he promptly returned the pearl.
I have to wonder if the pearl would have been returned if the donkey had come up lame the next day. I expect your response will be similar to my wife's -- that the car trouble may have been a consequence of my action.
I don't buy that -- and I'm not returning the money! -- THE HUSBAND OF THE WOMAN OF GOOD CHARACTER
DEAR HUSBAND: Only a fool would buy a donkey without carefully examining it to make sure it wasn't lame. And only a fool would buy a secondhand car without having it examined first by an automotive mechanic.