Nearly $10,000 -- What would you have done?

We've all seen the stories from time to time about the kid who finds a bag of money and turns it in to the police. The kid is usually hailed a hero for his honesty. Often if the money is returned to the person who lost it, the kid gets a reward.

So, that said, after parking outside a market on Sunday evening, I noticed a white envelope on the ground when I got out of my car. On it, someone had written "$9,500."

I picked it up. "Please let there be money inside," I thought to myself. I was disappointed it was empty.

I suspect that the envelope once contained money that belonged to the market, and I hope whoever last held the envelope had already deposited the cash  in the bank. Hopefully nobody lost it.

I admit I'm not sure what I would have done if it contained $9,500. That would have made life a lot easier.

Would I have turned it in? Probably. We've all watched The Twilight Zone. I'd probably have faced some horrible consequences if I didn't. And, oh the guilt of wondering who it belonged to. I'd worry some old man had lost his life savings. Or worse, it belonged to some drug dealer who would never stop looking for it.

But, wow. No more car payments. A week's vacation someplace.

I wonder what I would have done.