No, I'm pretty sure you didn't.

Today I fell for The Oldest Scam in the Book.

I am so disgusted with myself, I just keep sitting here playing it over and over again in my mind.

It was a crazy breakfast shift at the cafe, and between racing around with plates of Eggs Benedict and mixing bloody marys, I was a little strung out. 3 tables were finished eating at about the same time, and they came up to the counter, wanting to pay their tab, and asking for change to tip their tour drivers.

"Of course!" I said. "I'd be HAPPY to!" I said. "My PLEASURE!" I said. "No problem at ALL!" I said.

So I printed check and ran credit cards and made change. And when I got to the last customer, he asked for a $10 and two $5 for his $20. "Hm." I said. "I think I am out of 10's. Can I give you 4 $5 bills?" "Sure." he said.

So I counted out 4 $5 bills, and handed them over, and waited for the $20. "Did I already give it to you?" He asked. "No, I don-" "Yes, YES he did." interrupted his wife. "He already GAVE you the $20."

Well, no.......he didn't. But since I was sitting there with a stack of $20, it was impossible to prove it.

And since they insisted that they had given me the $20, and I couldn't prove that they hadn't, they took my 4 $5 and walked out the door.

It wasn't the money. I mean, that sucked, and I was frustrated about that...but it wasn't the money.

It was the fact that they made me feel as though *I* was trying to get away with something. Take something that wasn't mine.

It was that I had done them a favor, and they had returned my goodwill with a steaming pile of...well.

It was that from now on, I will be loathe to give ANYONE change. And I will have to make a big production out of it. And every time I DO give someone change, I am going to have to think about this one time that someone stole my $20 and tried to make it look like I was stealing from them.

Do you have change for a $20? I don't.