Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune
Long ago, Mr. Money used to live alone in his gigantic Mansion in San Pedro Nonualco. One day, he decided it was the right time to propose marriage to Mrs. Fortune (figure 1), and she agreed.
Figure 1. Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune. ¹
After they got married, Mr. Money wanted to discover who was the most successful of them because he wanted to prove that the pants are more powerful than the skirts and proposed a game to his wife.
His wife was intrigued and asked him: “How are we going to know it? Do you have anything in mind, honey?”
“Look, let’s take two beasts from my barn and ride them to the countryside.” Answered Mr. Money.
They rode their horses for a couple of hours until they saw a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. It looked so weak that it might collapse in the blink of an eye.
“I’m going to ask for some water there; do you want some?” asked Mrs. Fortune.
“It’s fine, let’s go.” Answered Mr. Money.
However, the couple from the cabin was so poor that they didn’t have a glass to give them some water. Mrs. Fortune had a flash of inspiration and told Mr. Money: “Let’s try here. It’s your turn, let’s see if you can make these impoverished people happy.”
“Obviously, I can! Who do you think I am?” Said, Mr. Money.
He approached the man in the house, took a silver coin from his pocket, and told that man: “Take this and go to acquire whatever you desire to eat. You have more than enough.”
After that, Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune left the cabin.
The countryman was shocked because he had never touched a coin like that one in his life, maybe he saw them in the wealthy shops in the city, but never in his own hands. He was extremely happy and took a shortcut to the city. He was jumping, singing, and running on the road. However, after a while, he stopped and noticed that he had lost the coin.
“Bloody hell!” He cursed and walked back to his cabin.
A week later, Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune came back and found them poorer, sadder, and weaker than before.
His wife was intrigued and asked him: “How are we going to know it? Do you have anything in mind, honey?”
“Look, let’s take two beasts from my barn and ride them to the countryside.” Answered Mr. Money.
They rode their horses for a couple of hours until they saw a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. It looked so weak that it might collapse in the blink of an eye.
“I’m going to ask for some water there; do you want some?” asked Mrs. Fortune.
“It’s fine, let’s go.” Answered Mr. Money.
However, the couple from the cabin was so poor that they didn’t have a glass to give them some water. Mrs. Fortune had a flash of inspiration and told Mr. Money: “Let’s try here. It’s your turn, let’s see if you can make these impoverished people happy.”
“Obviously, I can! Who do you think I am?” Said, Mr. Money.
He approached the man in the house, took a silver coin from his pocket, and told that man: “Take this and go to acquire whatever you desire to eat. You have more than enough.”
After that, Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune left the cabin.
The countryman was shocked because he had never touched a coin like that one in his life, maybe he saw them in the wealthy shops in the city, but never in his own hands. He was extremely happy and took a shortcut to the city. He was jumping, singing, and running on the road. However, after a while, he stopped and noticed that he had lost the coin.
“Bloody hell!” He cursed and walked back to his cabin.
A week later, Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune came back and found them poorer, sadder, and weaker than before.
Mr. Money was puzzled and questioned the man: “What did you do with the coin? You seem poorer than a week ago.”
He told him: “I lost it, and that’s why I’m poorer and unhappier than before.”
Mr. Money had a brilliant idea “Take these 30 silver coins but keep them safe. Don’t lose them again!”
The man couldn’t believe what had happened. He took the coins, asked his wife for her old bag, and decided to try once more to obtain some good food in the nearby city. Plus, he told his wife: “Definitively, we are ecstatic! This day, I’m going to bring you all that you want!”
He started to walk, and when he entered the city, a group of criminals assaulted him. They stole all his money, he barely survived the attack and returned to his cabin with a black eye and almost a broken leg.
His wife asked him: “Sweetie! What happened?”
He told her: “Woman! A group of criminals attacked me in the City Center and stole everything. I barely escaped!”
Mr. Money was so disappointed and angry that he just dug in his suit without thinking. He took a diamond and said: “Take this. This is a diamond. You can buy whatever you want, even in the most luxurious shop in San Salvador.”
The countryman said: “Much appreciated.” He walked to the most luxurious shop in a neighboring town called San Pedro Nonualco.
At that place, he started to order the most expensive dresses for his wife, the best suit for him, and all the things that they never had in their life. When he was going to pay, the diamond was really dirty and looked like a piece of coal. He tried to polish it up, but nothing worked.
The owner was furious and shouted: “Son of …” And threw the stone and fell down near the entry door. He took his gun and told him: “I want to kill you for all the time that I wasted in a wretched rat like you! You just brought me a piece of coal! If I ever see you in this city, I’m going to kill you! Get out of here and never come back!”
When he arrived home, he was more shocked than ever. He told his wife that he almost died this time and would never accept any gift from that odd man if he ever comes back.
At that place, he started to order the most expensive dresses for his wife, the best suit for him, and all the things that they never had in their life. When he was going to pay, the diamond was really dirty and looked like a piece of coal. He tried to polish it up, but nothing worked.
The owner was furious and shouted: “Son of …” And threw the stone and fell down near the entry door. He took his gun and told him: “I want to kill you for all the time that I wasted in a wretched rat like you! You just brought me a piece of coal! If I ever see you in this city, I’m going to kill you! Get out of here and never come back!”
The countryman ran as fast as he could and thought aloud: “Another scary experience! The last time the robbers almost killed me and this time, this man was really going to kill me!”
When he arrived home, he was more shocked than ever. He told his wife that he almost died this time and would never accept any gift from that odd man if he ever comes back.
A week later, Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune came back just to listen to the misfortunes of the poor man. Mrs. Fortune continued laughing as the last time because Mr. Money was not able to do anything, and when Mr. Money was going to do something, Mrs. Fortune stopped him and said: “Now, it’s my turn.”
She approached the man who was trembling and told him: “Dear man, please take this cent, at least you would be able to buy a pinch of salt for your tortillas.”
The man was a bit afraid and took the cent carefully. He walked slowly by the first shortcut that he took to the city to buy some salt. While he was walking there, he saw a shiny spot in the land and found the first silver coin that Mr. Money gave him.
When he arrived in the city, the policemen were coming with the robbers that stole his coins the last time. He was passing nearby when the police called him and asked: “Mr., did anyone steal you a couple of weeks ago?”
He told them: “Yes, and these are the robbers that stole my bag with coins.” The policemen gave it back and asked him: “Are you going to raise any charges against them?”
He answered them: “It’s enough with the bag. Take them to your worst room in jail.”
A couple of meters later, two men stopped him again and said: “Sir, our employer wants to speak to you.”
He was suffocated and asked them: “Who is your boss?”
“He is the owner of the luxurious shop that you visited the last time.” They told him.
The man was sweating, shocked, and answered: “I will just go if you swear, he is not going to kill me!”
When he arrived at the shop, the manager said: “Mr.! It’s great to see you again. Just one day after you left my shop burnt into a fire, I noticed nearby the door where I threw the piece of coal that something was shining, and it was that piece of coal. However, it wasn’t a piece of coal. It was a diamond! I can offer you three farms, 20 cows, and even this shop if you agree to give me this diamond.”
The countryman said: “Sure, why not? Deal!”
He didn’t believe what had happened. It was unbelievable! He was so ecstatic that he came back to his cabin, took his wife, and relocated to the City Center.
A week later, Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune came back to the old cabin, and it was empty. Mr. Money said: “Woman! You killed them!”
She was confident and said: “Let’s ride to the City Center.”
When they arrived, she saw the countryman sitting on the balcony of the most luxurious shop there and asked Mrs. Fortune: “Do you know who is that man?”
He replied to her: “No, I don’t recognize him, who is? He looks like a newcomer.”
At that time, Mrs. Fortune replied to him: “Well, that’s the man that you tried to make happy. Now, you can see who really has the power. It’s skirts, not pants! Ha!”
And the moral of this story is: “The fortune is more powerful than any money,” and of course, as Mrs. Fortune always says: “The skirts are more powerful than any pair of pants.”
Inspired by the book “Leyendas Cuentos y Adivinanzas de El Salvador, Bancasa, Banco de Construcción y Ahorro, S.A.” © All rights reserved 1995. The tale is an adaptation of the fairytale told by the storyteller Mr. Pío Lara of Cantón Barahona in La Paz, El Salvador.
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