Kat and the Angry Rich Man

        What a strange day we had today. My mother and I were at the café having lunch, when this older woman walks in with her chauffeur. I’m not kidding you! Oh, and I had to look up how to spell chauffeur. It took me a long time too; I thought it started with an s. I looked out the window, and there was this long black limo. It was the first one I had ever seen in person. It was BIG!
        Back to the lady, she had these big rings on her fingers with millions of diamonds, diamond earrings, and a watch encrusted with diamonds. Encrusted? Is that the right word? Well, there were lots of diamonds on her watch too. The first thing she says (loud enough for everyone to hear) as she is walking in the door is, “What a dump. Of all the places to break down, couldn’t you have planned things better, Mickels?”
        Mickels didn’t say a word, and the woman just kept on talking. “Well, isn’t anyone going to seat me? Don’t you people know who I am? I could buy this place with the pocket change I carry in my purse.” Then she pulls out a wad of bills and holds it up for everyone to see. The chauffeur looked very uncomfortable.
        While watching this, I remembered a man Carter and I met in Dearth who was like this woman. It was while we were walking through a section of the eastern path that was the floor of a deep gorge with towering cliffs of brick red rock on either side. The path was only a couple feet wide at some points and even narrower where parts of the rock jutted out from the walls. It was so hot; the sun was beating down, and no breeze could penetrate. At the narrowest point of the gorge we came upon an angry, frustrated man. His puffy, purple face was dripping with sweat. He was wearing a thick coat that extended out from his body several inches, and on his back he carried a large backpack. It was obvious that he was upset because he couldn’t fit through the narrow space with the load he was carrying. His load was money. He had money stuffed everywhere, and he couldn’t fit through the tight bottleneck that was called The Needle’s Eye.
        We offered to help him, but he kept accusing us of trying to trick him out of his money. No matter how hard we tried to reason with him, he just wouldn’t trust us. Eventually we asked him if he would let us go past him, and he screamed at us to leave him alone. It was a frightening situation, and you can read all about how Carter and I got past the rich man in “Beyond the Dead Forest.” It was kind of funny, yet it was sad too. Once we got past him, and he finally realized that he would not be able to move through The Needle’s Eye unless he left his wealth behind, he sat down on a rock, hugged his pack, and a blank look came into his eyes.
        It troubled me that he was so desperate to hold onto his wealth even if it meant that he would not be able to move on to his final destination. Then Carter said something that made sense. “It’s what he worked for his whole life. He put his time, energy, and life into it. To leave it behind would be to admit that he wasted his life, and it had no value or meaning.”
        And that rich lady in the café who made such a show of her wealth, she complained about everything. Even though the waitresses and everyone who worked in the café tried to please her, she left in a huff and didn’t even leave a tip. Everyone was sure glad to see her leave.
        All rich people aren’t like the two in my blog, but there are some people who really don’t know what real wealth is. I’m glad Carter and I learned what is really valuable from our adventures we experienced beyond Dead Forest. Good night everyone.