
It was a rainy day, dreary and gray, and so the copper penny was a beacon on the ground against the gray concrete.
The old saying flashed in my mind, “See a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck.”
I stopped — hesitated would be a better word, because I made no move to pick up the penny. I just saw it down there, registered it in my memory, and moved on across the walk and into the store.
“Somebody else can have the luck,” I said to myself. “Could be they need it more.”