Homeless Man Returns Engagement Ring Worth Thousands to Woman After She Accidentally Dropped It in His Change Cup
Last Friday in Kansas City, rich engaged woman Sarah Darling spotted poor homeless man Billy Ray Harris in a part of Kansas City called The Plaza. Harris was holding a cup full of spare change, so Darling, because she felt bad that one time or perhaps because she's always been generous, emptied her coin purse into the cup and walked off, probably happy about having performed that day's Good Deed.
She went about her business normally until the next day, when she realized her platinum and diamond engagement ring was missing. Disaster!
"I was so incredibly upset because, more than just the value of the ring, it had sentimental value," she told KCTV. But why was her ring off in the first place? Because of an affair or some other scandalous reason? Nope, it was just uncomfortable. "My rings were bothering me, so I put them in my coin purse," she said.
When she remembered she'd dumped the coin purse into Harris's cup, she rushed back to the Plaza, where she found Harris.
"She squatted down like you did like right there and says ‘Do you remember me?' And I was like, ‘I don't know. I see a lot of faces.' She says, ‘I might have gave you something very valuable.' I said, ‘Was it a ring?' And she says, ‘Yeah.' And I said ‘Well, I have it,'" Harris said.
For Darling, the moment was like a "miracle," and she gave Harris all the cash she had on her.
But why didn't Harris pawn the ring and, as KCTV put it, "start a new life"? "My grandfather was a reverend. He raised me from the time I was 6 months old and thank the good Lord, it's a blessing, but I do still have some character," he said.
It's also worth noting that, for Harris, finding lost rings and returning them to their rightful owners is practically a habit. According to Harris, several years ago a drunk and retired Oakland Raiders player was in town for a Chiefs' game. As one does when in Kansas City and a retired star athlete, the former player got drunk and jumped in a nearby creek (Brush Creek, in case you want to visit), where he lost his Super Bowl ring. Harris, of course, found the ring later that night on the sidewalk and returned it to the player, who rewarded him with a "generous reward" that included a three-night stay at fancy hotel downtown.
