Fair village

We were lying on the sofa, last season Breaking Bad. In front of the door stood a delegation from the Vomar in our village, two women strong. I knew the faces. Of course I knew the faces, I go there almost every day, but without the company clothing I had to think for a moment.

"Yes, from the Vomar...", said the elder.

Her younger colleague from her bicycle: "I think you've lost something..."

Wallet, I was looking for it all day.

A customer had brought it to me, she had found it in the bushes opposite the supermarket. It contained twenty euros, all my cards, some receipts and a swimming card.

I wanted to give them the twenty euros, but they did not want it.

"We are just honest," said the eldest woman. "There is no police station here, so people bring everything to us. We look into every wallet, but don't take anything out."

The one from the bicycle: "You look into it, but what we see, we leave. We waited half the day for you, but when you didn't come, we went to bring it ourselves. We knew where you live anyway."

"Yes", said the other Vomar employee, "that is the advantage of a village. Everyone knows where you live. And the fact that people here are honest, that's also something I want to say."

The one from her bicycle: "Honest is best".

My friend now also reported at the door.

"Great that you brought back his wallet!" To me, "Did you give them anything?" "They don't want anything," I said.

The oldest employee wiped her glasses on her sleeve and said that on second thought she would like some cake.

"And the rest of my colleagues too, I think."

The one from the bicycle: "And that you write down that the people here are honest".

The next morning I went to the bakery.

They already knew that I would come, but they had no cake.

"You have to order large cakes a day in advance. You can buy two small cakes, but one big one is more fun of course. There are about ten of them there."

I bought two small cakes.

At the cigarette counter in the supermarket, they saw me coming.

"With two cakes," said the girl who accepted the bag, "because you have to order a large one a day in advance."

Everyone here knows everything, sometimes even before it happens.

Did I mention that people here are very honest?

Source: NRC