All bottled up

Lately I've been taking in a couple of my friends pilled up bottles to help my fundraising for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Thursday I had a whole carload to take in at 5:30pm when I finished work, and the place I was taking them to closed at 6pm. 

It was when I was wheeling all my bags in for sorting that at guy came up to me and asked if I needed help. I said no, and to be honest I recognized him and thought he worked there. He said, "Oh come on, I don't mind, I'm waiting for a friend anyhow" and started sorting them. It occurred to me that with his efficiency of sorting that this guy might actually come here a lot, and want some of the money from the bottle since he was helping. So I told him what the money was going to.

 As we're finishing, which took half as long, or less than it would have, he asked me for a favour. He'd put two flats of beer cans aside and asked me if he could have the money from them. Feeling guilty that he'd helped, I said yes. I left the bottle depot with $30 from the bottles and a bad taste in my mouth.

To be honest, the cans he took probably only got him $2, at most, but its the principle. I didn't like that I assumed he would ask me for money, and then that he proved my assumption right. I felt cheated. I wouldn't have wanted his help if he expected compensation for it, and I felt obligated since he had. Also, it wasn't like the money was going in my pocket either, he knew where the money was going, and he asked anyways. I talked to a few friends about it, a couple who agreed with me, and others said I need to let it go. Either way, I was still thinking about it two days later, and that made it blog worthy in my mind.