42-Year-Old Finds Pouch With $10,000 on a Bench - Waits Over Three Hours for Owner to Return

What would you do if you found a wallet stuffed with cash? Many of us would like to say we’d try and return it, but what if there was a lot of money inside? Would you be tempted to keep it? The man in this story definitely was, but in the end, he did the right thing.

What One Man Found at the Playground

Sean Lee was playing with his six-year-old son at the playground near his home in Singapore one day when he noticed a man lying on the bench nearby. He didn’t think twice about the guy at first; he just remembered him because he was chatting on the phone.

Eventually, the man got up and left, and at some point, Lee sat down to take a breather. That’s when he realized the man had left a worn, black pouch on the bench, according to TNP.

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Inside, there was a thick yellow envelope, about $60, an EZ-link card, and a work permit for a man named Cui Hua Bi, a Chinese national working in Singapore.

“I did not open the envelope then, but when I saw the work permit and the cash in the wallet, I realized that this was someone's hard-earned money,” Lee told the publication. “I did not feel good keeping it.”

So, Lee and his family waited for the man to return. Eventually, it was their son’s bedtime, though, so they went back up to their apartment.

How a Man Kept Watch for Hours for the Owner

Upstairs, Lee had a view of the bench and continued to check to see if the man had returned to look for his pouch. He also opened the envelope and realized there was another $10,500 in there. He was tempted to keep it but knew he wanted to do the right thing.

“The owner probably needed it more than I did,” he said. “I felt burdened holding on to someone else’s money.”

Eventually, around 10:45 p.m., Lee heard voices coming from the park and recognized the man from earlier that day. The man had only realized his wallet was missing when he was getting ready for bed that evening.

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According to the publication, Cui had been saving and planned on sending that money back home. The cash in the envelope was roughly five weeks’ worth of savings, which he was holding while waiting out the current rates.

“When I got my pouch back, I had so many things to say to Mr. Lee, but I did not know how to express my gratitude,” the man said. Later, he bought Lee grapes, apples, and oranges to show his appreciation.

How One Man Proved the Importance of Doing the Right Thing

It would have been easy for Lee to pocket that money, but he knew someone else needed it more than he did. And he was right. While we don’t know the circumstances behind Cui’s life back home, the man was only spending $200 weekly and sending the rest back — probably for his family.

Had he lost that money, it would have been devastating. Luckily, Lee reminded us all that there are good people in this world. So the next time you find a wallet, purse, cell phone, or anything else of value, do what you can to return the item to its owners. Give it to a store employee, look for an address, or see if their phone number happens to be their screen saver.

At the end of the day, you’ll feel good about doing the right thing, plus you never know how much the item in question will mean to the person who lost it.