Arthur felt a lump in his throat as the pawnshop owner told him that it was a mistake giving him the $20 for the picture he found in the trash. Arthur felt tears well up in his eyes as he felt the crumpled note in his pocket that was going to buy him food for the day.
The pawnshop owner further explained to Arthur just how much the picture was actually worth. Arthur couldn’t believe it; he had been a fool to pawn it so carelessly. But what the owner of the store said next made him burst into tears.
Arthur Anderson didn’t have the easiest life. At the age of 30, he was living under an overpass. He used to live in a house with a wife, but that all ended when she left him, and he lost his job. Still, Arthur tried to make a living out of his new life, whether or not he liked it.
Arthur’s new “job” would lead him to a painting one day. But he had no idea how the piece of art would change his world around forever.
Arthur’s “job” that helped keep him fed was an “antique collector.” He chuckled to himself when he called himself that. What he actually did was dig through other people’s trash in the hopes of finding something worth a couple of dollars to the local pawnshop.
But he liked the ironic title of an antique collector. He just had no idea how fitting that title would be after he found a specific piece in the trash.
There were days when Arthur felt unmotivated. It was easy to understand because he had no family, barely any friends, and no home at all. He was mostly alone in the world and struggled to get to his next meal when things were dire.
It was a rough life, to say the least. But Arthur’s life was about to turn around for a variety of reasons. And it started on an ordinary Monday morning.
Arthur woke up early to start his usual route. He was going up and down the street looking in everyone’s garbage, seeing if anything could be sold so he could buy lunch. But there was something sticking out of a dumpster that caught his eye.
When he pulled it out, he noticed that it was a picture of some kind. He recognized Bambi, and it looked relatively old. Maybe it was worth something?
Arthur knew the owner of a local Pawnshop. The man who was named Benny was always nice to him. No other pawnshop would even let him in their stores because of his appearance. Arthur approached Benny and showed him what he had found that day. Amongst the items was the picture, he had found.
Benny felt bad for Arthur and always bought at least something from him so he could afford to buy himself food. But today would be very different.
Benny liked the look of the picture. His gut feeling told him he should buy it and help out Arthur at the same time. He offered Arthur $20 for the picture. That was plenty enough for Arthur to eat for two days, and Benny hoped he could make a small profit from it.
Arthur smiled, took the money, and walked off happily. Benny thought he knew what he was looking at, but he was very wrong once he found out the truth.
Benny examined the picture more closely and made the assumption that it was a replica animation cell from the 1980s. He hoped he could get as much as $40 for it, but in the end, he wouldn’t get anywhere close to that – he just didn’t know that yet.
Benny needed to know for sure what he was looking at, so he decided to make a few calls. He had no idea what door he would be opening once he made the phone call.
Benny made the phone call. He decided to call an expert on animation cells to come and have a look at it. Benny had no idea what he was dealing with, so he wanted to be sure that he wasn’t being unfair in his price.
A man agreed to meet him at his store and take a look at the animation cell. But when the man arrived, he would have surprising news for Benny that would change his life forever.
After the expert finished up explaining what Benny had in his store, he hurriedly left. Benny couldn’t believe he had agreed to give Arthur $20 for the plastic sheet. He needed to find Arthur to give him a piece of his mind.
Thankfully he knew where Arthur stayed and sent a message that he should come back to the store before he spent the money he had given him. But Arthur had no idea that he would leave the store in tears.
Arthur felt a lump in his throat as the pawnshop owner told him that it was a mistake giving him the $20 for the picture he found in the trash. Arthur felt tears well up in his eyes as he felt the crumpled note in his pocket that was going to buy him food for the day.
Benny further explained to Arthur just how much the picture was actually worth. Arthur couldn’t believe it. He had been a fool to pawn it so carelessly. But what Benny said next made him burst into tears.
Arthur couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Benny explained to him that the animation cell had already been reserved and bought on eBay. And that the buyer had paid close to what it was actually worth – $3,700.
Arthur looked down at his $20 and felt the sting of reality. He could have made so much more money if he had been clever about it. He stood shockingly still, contemplating his lamentation.
Benny saw that Arthur didn’t understand the reality of the situation, so he got his attention again and reassured him that he had a “gift” for him. He slid an envelope across the counter towards him and winked.
Arthur had no idea what was inside. He slowly opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside. He knew that Benny was an honorable man after all.
The money in the envelope totaled exactly half what Benny would get for the animation cell. Benny had explained that the cell was no replica but an original 1937 cell from the Disney Classic Bambi.
Arthur couldn’t thank him enough, but there was more to it than that. Benny had one more surprise for Arthur that would be worth way more than any amount of money in the world.
Benny had found Arthur’s family – his mother, father, and brother. They all cared for Arthur and had feared the worst when they lost contact with them. Benny explained to Arthur that they wanted him to move back with them to Ontario.
Tears were streaming down Arthur’s face as he hugged Benny. He would never be able to repay him for the kindness he had shown him all the years he had sold things in his store. Now he had money and, most importantly, a family he could count on.
