Every day, the U.S. Treasury Department prints around 24.8 million notes. Of course, that doesn’t account for how many notes are already constantly being circulated throughout America which is well over 11 billion notes. That said, the chances of us receiving a bill back as change that we had spent previously at an establishment are pretty slim.
For example, the chances of you coming back in contact with a $10 bill your great aunt gave you decades ago after you spent it at a shell shop while vacationing at the beach are virtually non-existent. While not impossible, let’s just say you’d never expect to see it again once you’ve spent it or gave it to someone else.
An 86-year-old man from Hartford, Connecticut by the name of Peter Bilello definitely never thought he’d ever get the dollar bill back signed by his late wife, Grace Caruso. During their five decades of marriage, Peter and Grace each signed a dollar bill, so they could always “be” with one another, even when they were physically apart. Grace kept Peter’s signed bill in her wallet while Peter kept hers in his wallet. The goal was to never spend the dollar bill. One day, however, he accidentally spent Grace’s bill.
Unfortunately, a few years later, Peter’s wife passed away just months after sharing their 50th anniversary of marriage together. As anyone would be, Peter was devastated, but he knew the two had shared a wonderful life together.
Seven months after Grace’s passing, Peter went to get lunch at Subway with his granddaughter. What he thought would be a normal lunch ended up being one he’d never forget. After the cashier handed him three one-dollar bills back as change, the bill on the very top was signed by Grace!
He couldn’t believe his eyes. “I never thought I was going to get that dollar back again, never,” Peter said.
To think if Peter had walked into that Subway earlier or later that day, gave the cashier exact change, or never dined there at all that day, he may have never received the dollar bill back, ever.
Although Grace may no longer be physically there with Peter, their love was destined from the start. The couple first met when Peter was a single man working in the United States. His mom kept hinting at him to settle down with a woman and get married. During a trip back home in Italy, his mother encouraged him to meet up with a nice girl who lived close by – Grace.
Not long later, Peter and Grace met in person, got married within 40 days, moved back to Hartford, and spent a long and happy marriage together. The two would eventually share two children and four grandchildren together.
I don’t know about you, but Peter randomly receiving Grace’s dollar bill back as change doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me! I’ll let you be the judge.
Check out the video below to learn more about the story!
