Ruin-your-life money

Piles of cash hidden in a drawer. Getty Images

What happens when you stumble on something with the potential to change your life? First, Oscar almost had a panic attack. Later, regret consumed them.

When Oscar found the money, they freaked out.

There had already been enough drama in their apartment building as it was. The cops had raided the building after a couple of the neighbors had a nasty fight. Someone got stabbed. In the commotion, a mysterious door opened up in Oscar’s apartment. Inside, they found garbage bags stuffed with cash.

“I didn’t count the money because one, there was a lot of it,” Oscar said. “And two, I was freaking out, and I was like, ‘If I keep this, someone will probably try and kill me.’ So I probably shouldn’t get my fingerprints all over it.”

It would end up being nearly 200,000 Canadian dollars.

Here’s where we should mention Oscar isn’t their real name. When we reported this story, they were living in Canada illegally after dropping out of school. They were in a dark place when they found the money last summer. It was enough to propel their life in a different direction.

On this week’s show, we’ll follow Oscar’s struggle to do the right thing with the money. Over time, their panic turned into a gnawing regret about what they could have used some of that cash for.

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“This Is Uncomfortable” is Reema Khrais, Donna Tam, Megan Detrie, Peter Balonon-Rosen, Camila Kerwin, Phoebe Unterman, Marque Greene and Serena Chow.