Prose - Danila Seregin. Principle.

                                             Danila Seregin

                          Principle

  I bought myself a brand new Zaporozhets, as green as a cucumber.
  And now I’m driving down the street, and people on the road are waving their hands. First I
I thought they were greeting me, but it turned out they were just
“voting” for me to give them a lift.
  But I’m not a fool - look, they’ll unscrew something else. And suddenly I see -
the girl waves her hand. I thought - what can she do to me?
I stopped and asked:
     - Where?
     - To the institute.
     I gave her a lift, and she gave me twenty rubles and said:
     - Thank you!
     Of course, I was offended and said:
     - I don’t need money, I have a principle.
     She jumped out and said again: “Thank you!”
     Before I had time to close the door, a man breaks in and begs:
     - Please, to Sheremetyevo! I'm burning!
     - Well, okay...
     We arrived, he gave me fifty rubles and got out.
     I tell him too:
     - I don’t need money, I have a principle.
  - Guy, what are you doing?  You wasted both time and gasoline. And
In general, take the steward over there.
     I suddenly thought: it’s true! What's wrong with me?

     ...Two months have passed.
     One day a girl sat down next to me and said:
     - Zelenaya Street, building 18.
     Well, I drove her, and she got out and said:
     - Thank you!
     I remark to her:
     - You can’t spread thanks on bread! Thirty from you.
     She turned around and answered:
     - Well, pettyYou're the type, Tolya!
     Then I looked at her for the first time - and was dumbfounded.
     It was my wife.