Roberto Garcia

All my life, we had no money. We were constantly short of everything. But we always stuck together as a family, and that made us strong. We survived all the crises.

Twenty years ago, there was a dicey situation. As a former car mechanic from Havana, Cuba, I was specialized in repairing the classic cars that you still see on our island. One day, a particularly nice car with four nasty-looking gangsters came into my workshop. They left the car with me so that I could check the engine in peace.

While working on the engine, I discovered a plastic bag with a white powder and another bag with $10,000 stashed between the coolant and brake fluid containers. Then, as now, we were chronically broke, and it was a great temptation to take the plastic bags. It was probably just forgotten there, and no one would have noticed the loss. I had already stowed it away in my toolbox, but just before the gangsters came back to pick up the car, I changed my mind.

The risk was too great for me, and I didn't want to endanger my life or that of my family. I'm 82 now, and looking back, I realize how much that decision shaped my life. Instead of keeping the bags, I drew the gangsters' attention to the find. They were actually surprised; they had obviously forgotten about it. As a sign of trust and in appreciation of my work, I was paid extremely well.

The money helped my family in a time of great need, and I was glad to have made the right decision. I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep peacefully otherwise, and that sense of peace has been worth more than any amount of money.