Teenager's Lost Wallet Returns with $1,500 Inside and a Note

Marcus Webb saved $1,487 over four months bagging groceries after school. He kept it all in cash, planning to buy his first car before senior year started.

Last Tuesday, the wallet fell out of his pocket in a grocery store parking lot. Webb didn't notice until he got home. He drove back within the hour, searched for ninety minutes, and found nothing.

Thursday morning, someone knocked on his door. Nobody stood there, but a package sat on the welcome mat. Inside: his wallet, all the cash, his learner's permit, and a handwritten note on lined paper.

"I found this in the parking lot. Counted it to make sure it was all there. $1,487. You worked hard for this. Good luck with the car. A friend."

Webb's mother posted about it on social media, hoping to identify the person. Three neighbors recognized the handwriting. They pointed to Jim Patterson, a retired postal worker who lives six blocks away.

Patterson didn't want credit. "The kid earned that money," he told a local reporter who tracked him down. "I just picked it up off the ground."

Webb bought a 2009 Honda Civic on Saturday. He drove to Patterson's house first, knocked on the door, and handed him an envelope. Inside was $200 and a note thanking him.

Patterson tried to refuse it. Webb's mother, who came along, wouldn't let him. "You taught my son something about the kind of person he wants to be," she said.

Patterson kept the money. He donated it to the high school's scholarship fund the next morning, designated for students who work part-time jobs while attending classes.

Webb starts his senior year next month. He plans to study business at community college and keep working at the grocery store. Patterson still shops there every Thursday morning.