Wednesday – Wayne, our resident creative genius, handed me two pennies. He’d found one in the footwell of the passenger seat of his car and the other in Foot Locker.
Thursday, Nix gave me a penny that she found “somewhere or other”. That’s good enough for me. The devil’s in the details.
I also found something myself on Thursday. I was meandering past Hammersmith tube station when I spotted something shiny on the floor. I didn’t really want it to be money, because it was lunchtime and the area was swarming with purposeful types striding about carrying coffees. But sure enough, it was a penny. Damn.
There was a man hanging around waiting for someone or something, and I’d felt him clock me as I slowed down on my approach to the penny. I could still feel his eyes on me as I arrived at the point where I had to either pick it up or walk on, and my head started pounding with the feeling that a thousand high-heeled women and besuited men were all looking at me thinking ‘surely she wouldn’t pick that up, would she? Nobody’s that poor’.
I wrestled with myself, but for the first time in the project, I walked straight past some cash.
I only got about 3 metres before the guilt and shame hit me. I felt like a complete coward. So what could have been a fairly casual sweeping-up manoeuvre in passing became a double-back walk of shame and a squint around on the floor, all the while being watched by a man who’d seen everything. For a penny.
I tried to look grave, like I’d dropped something valuable, but not so grave that anyone looking on would offer to help. I found it, and with my back turned to the man stood there watching, I picked it up. Feel the fear and do it anyway, people.
Saturday, I was in town with my little brother and sister, when my brother Luke found a 2p and gamely handed it over.
Sunday – went to my nan’s house, who gave me a penny she’d found – shock horror – in Tesco’s car park, right by a children’s ride. There had been children on the ride, so it probably belonged to one of them. The brats should be more careful, shouldn’t they?
Week Thirty
How much found: 7p
Total found so far: £13.99
How it could now be spent: an Anti-James Blunt T-shirt
