I saw a recipe for red lentil soup that allegedly could be on the table in thirty minutes.  I decided to make it.  There were a couple of crucial ingredients that I was missing (the red lentils and coconut milk) so I picked them up the next time I was in Trader Joe’s. 

When I was about to make the soup, I couldn’t find the red lentils I had purchased.  Further, I couldn’t find the shopping receipt which would tell me if I had paid for them.  Anyway, I couldn’t make the soup.

The next day a neighbor was going to Trader Joe’s, and I asked her to buy red lentils for me again.  Even with the help of an employee, she could only find green lentils, and she called me from the store to tell me so. 

That day I had an Amazon package to return via Whole Foods Market. While there, I found red lentils in their bin department.  I carefully bagged a reasonable amount. At that moment, my phone rang, and it was my friend telling me she had bought me red lentils in a different market.  I was standing in front of the red lentil container, but I had already filled a bag and I wasn’t about to put them back.

Thus, I was well supplied to make the soup.

My neighbor and I use Venmo, a convenient way to pay each other back, even for small amounts, so I asked her how much she paid for the red lentils and she told me $2.29.  I didn’t pay her immediately as I usually do.

The next morning, I got a notice from Venmo saying she had paid me $2.29.

We laughed about it and I sent her $4.58. 

The soup was excellent.