Bob stared at the coin on the pavement. He wasn't sure if it was a penny or a badly tarnished dime.
If it was a penny he wouldn't bother to pick it up. Not worth the effort to bend or squat or crouch, and then get back up again. But he'd certainly consider picking up a dime. A dime has, what, ten times the spending power of a penny? And while the total caloric expenditure involved in the picking up of the coin would deduct somewhat from the total perceived value, with a dime he would still come out a few cents ahead.
He checked his watch. He had to be at work in ten minutes. But he just worked up the street a few blocks, and the traffic wasn't bad today. He looked at the coin again, squinting.
He remembered the first coin he ever spotted in a parking lot. There had been no doubt then; it was a dime. He wasted no time in picking it up, and he got four pieces of bubble gum at the local U-Tote-M.
He smiled at the memory. His smile faded, though, as he recalled the time he picked up his first penny and went back to the U-Tote-M. He asked how many pieces of gum he could get with this, and the clerk just laughed at him. Bob left the store, red-faced, and threw the penny into the bayou.
"Mornin', Bob!"
Bob started. He looked around and saw his neighbor, Ted. "Oh! Good morning, Ted. Sorry, I was just having a flashback."
"'Nam?" Ted asked gravely.
"Yeah. Say, can you take a look at this and tell me if it's a dime or a penny?"
Ted walked over and leaned forward. He scowled. He rubbed his chin. He removed his glasses from his shirt pocket and took another look. "Hmmm, hard to say without actually crouching down to pick it up."
"I'm pretty sure it's a dime," Bob said. "If you'll pick it up I'll split it with you fifty-fifty."
"And what if it's a penny?"
"Well then... you can keep the whole thing."
Ted looked at it again. "It could be a slug."
A slug! Bob's face paled. He hadn't thought of that. How cruelly ironic that would be. He checked his watch. Five 'til eight. He was definitely going to be late for work. He looked plaintively into Ted's eyes.
Ted shifted uneasily. "No, I'm sure it's not a slug. You're probably right, it's probably a dime. Fifty-fifty's a deal, okay?"
Bob smiled and heaved a sigh. "Yes. Fifty-fifty."
They shook hands. Ted crouched down, picked up the coin, examined it, and stood up.
"Well?" Bob rubbed his hands together.
Ted smiled. "It's a dime."
"Hot damn! Let me have it!"
Ted handed him the dime. Bob giggled as he examined it. "A dime!" He looked at his watch. "Whooa, geez, I'm gonna be late for work! Seeya later, Ted." He turned toward his car.
"Uh, you're forgetting my change."
"What? Oh! Sorry." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. "Whoops." He patted his other pockets. "Uh oh, darn the luck, I'm afraid I don't have any change right now. But you know I'm good for it. Thanks, Ted!" Bob patted Ted's shoulder.
"Oh. I see." Ted frowned.
Bob clutched the coin tightly in his fist, smiling awkwardly. Ted looked at Bob's whitening fist and looked at his glistening face. Bob ran his free hand across his forehead and laughed nervously.
"Well as luck would have it, I've got change." Ted held out his hand.
Bob looked in Ted's hand. "Where? I don't see it."
"No, I mean give me the dime back."
"Let's see the change first!"
Ted scowled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change.
"Oh." Bob's face fell. "Okay." He reluctantly opened his fist and Ted took the coin.
Ted sifted through his change and picked out five pennies. "Yes, here we are. Five cents.... Uh oh, I think I feel a sneeze coming on...."