Stranger?

"What?" Paula shook her head as she flipped through her passbook. $93450. That was the exact sum. It definitely wasn't enough for the funeral overseas. It had been held there as it cost a hundred times cheaper, even though it was far from home. Her husband Johnny, had died in a car accident overseas. She had made an emergency trip with her family inclusive her extended family. The funeral cost $100000, a large sum especially for a family with financial difficulties. It cost an arm and a leg. It wouldn't be called a financial difficulty in any other family, but a family of seven, actually five. It was a catastrophe.

Her children studied in a public school, had to stay in trend, needed to have a good social media profile and so on. This made things a lot more worse. The youngest was thirteen, and all of them worked. They had their own savings to cover half of their entertainment or rather social expenses.

Now that Johnny had passed away, Paula had to carry the burdens of bringing up such a large family.

Shaking her head, Paula grabbed her passbook and car keys, and got into her car. At least she could claim insurance. In her car, she wept and soon reached a rundown mall, where she worked. There, she would work first, then withdraw $90000, to pay for the funeral. The other $10000 she would have to use her furniture to sell and pay for it.

"Ding dong," the doorbell in the shop rang, a tall man came in. His hair was gelled up, he wore a suit and pants cleaned and ironed.

"Hello Miss, do you know anyone by the name of Paula Mackenzie? I know her husband, Johnny Walter. He had an unfortunate accident," he said in an enchanting voice. Paula was still studying him, mesmerised by not only his looks but his voice too.

Regaining her senses, she said hurriedly,"Yes. Of course it's me." In her heart, she hoped that this handsome young man did not notice her making sneak peeks at him.

"I see. Mrs Walter, nice to meet you, I am Mr Fredrick Clinton. Mr Walter was a dear friend and senior to me. I was also stationed overseas to work with him. I had been invited to his funeral, however had not been able to make it due to personal reasons. I understand that you are tight in finances, yes?" he asked.

Paula was astonished at this time. What? Senior? Friend? I thought my Johnny was just a lowly banker. He earned huge sums as a banker with no experience but a bachelor degree in finance. He had changed jobs so often, that she couldn't keep track. So Johnny knew such a person. But is this person really trustworthy? A million of questions formed in her head.

"Well anyway, Johnny the senior banker in our company had a paycut for years. He was supposed to have it only for a month, but it carried on. Both of us fought for his rights, and now, he is getting his money back. However... He had an unfortunate death. So, legally, you will get the money. In case you're wondering, it is a large sum of half a million dollars."

"What!" Paula gasped in shock, large eyes and mouth agape. No wonder I thought Johnny was considered a lowly banker. He had a crazy lasting paycut.

"So, umm... the bank is asking where they should transfer this money to. If you would like to open a new bank account, we would give you ten percent interest as a compensation for not paying the right amount of money."

Paula finally replied,"I guess I will just open a new account then. Please transfer the money over. Here's my contact number." Grabbing a pen and paper from her bag, she scribbled her number down. As she put her pen back, she was mortified by the fact that her pad had been sticking out.

"Here," Fredrick said, passing her a business card from his wallet.

He then took leave and turned away.

This happened years ago, and currently Paula is living a comfortable life with a million dollars, as the bank had such a good interest rate. This stranger changed her life, and helped her husband who really didn't know about legal rights. She knew this as she always had to settle such things.

------------------------------------------------The End-------------------------------------------------

This is a story of a stranger who is actually a friend.