Real-Life Decision Making
You pull in to the bus stop in front of the local shopping mall. You see Arnie Patterson, a regular customer, at the front of the line. About 10 other passengers are also waiting to get on the bus.
You release the latch on the door. "Good to see you, Arnie," you say. He smiles, and then reaches into his back pocket. Suddenly he looks agitated and starts searching his coat pockets.
A few passengers squeeze by him, drop their coins into the box and find a seat on the bus.
"I can't believe it," Arnie says. "I can't find my wallet." He fishes into his pocket again. "I must have given it to my wife this afternoon."
Almost everyone is now on the bus, and it's time to move on. Arnie looks at you imploringly.
"Don't worry about it," you say. "You can give me the change when I see you tomorrow." Arnie breathes a sigh of relief.
The problem solved, you get ready to pull away from the curb. But the last person to get on behind Arnie says, "Hey, I can't find my change either. Are you going to give me a free ride too?"
You look in her face. You've never seen her before, and by the way she speaks, you're pretty sure she has the money to pay. You guess she's just trying to con you. You start to tell her that you don't know her, and can't just give out free rides.
"You mean to tell me that you are going to give him a free ride, but not me?" she asks, pointing at Arnie. "That doesn't sound fair."
What do you do?