Laurel resident Paul Morgan received the shock of his life at about 4 a.m. Tuesday morning as he walked from his home on North 3rd Avenue to his job at Burger King on Beacon Street.

It’s a trek he has made dozens of times, but never before has he found a check for $183,000 along the path. Not until Tuesday, that is.

The 42-year-old kitchen coordinator for the Beacon Street store said he has walked back and forth from work since his car stopped working several years ago. He lives about three miles from work, but the long walk doesn’t bother him.

His work schedule includes working from 4 a.m. to noon for two days and from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. three days. He usually walks to work, but co-workers often offer him a ride home.

“You’ve got to do what you have got to do,” said Morgan. “I can’t afford a car right now, so I just walk.”

Besides, Morgan said he’s trying to save his money to purchase the small one-bedroom house he calls home.

“This is my bachelor’s pad,” Morgan said with pride. “They just want $30,000 for it and it’s not often that you can find a home for $30,000. I am working on the $3,000 down payment.”

Morgan said he has two daughters, ages 22 and 17, that he wants to be able to leave something to. The house and property surrounding it would be a good start, he said.

That’s why you won’t catch Morgan complaining about the long walk to work or his early morning shift.

“I know it can be dangerous walking that early in the morning, but I try to be alert,” he said. “Since there is not much traffic that early in the morning, I usually walk in the middle of the street.

“The worse part for me is when I have to tackle that hill down there by the main post office.”

It so happened that the check, which he later discovered belonged to an elderly Laurel resident who had just sold his home, was lying “on the hill” across from the post office and in front of City Cleaners at 460 N. Magnolia St.

“That hill always slows me down,” Morgan said, bursting into laughter. “I guess that’s why I saw the check, I had slowed down a bit.”

Morgan said it was no coincidence that the check was lying where it was. Neither does he believe it’s a coincidence that he found it.

“It was the Lord’s doing,” he said. “He knew that would be the perfect spot for me to see the check.

“When I first saw it though, I looked down at it and was just going to leave it there,” he said. “I had walked away from it, but then something told me to go back.”

Morgan explained that the check was lying face up on the pavement. Fortunately, it had the owner’s name, as well as the name of his attorney written on it.

When Morgan got to work, he told the managers on duty – Melanie Ulmer and Thomas Jones – about his discovery. He asked them what should he do to get the check back to its rightful owner.

“We dialed 911 and told them about the check,” said Morgan. “They helped us a lot.”

According to 911 Administrator Tammy Wells, the call came into dispatch and officers from the Laurel Police Department were sent out to Burger King. “They verified that the check was indeed real and assisted in contacting the owner,” she said. “It really happened.”

Morgan said he called the owner of the check and told him he had his property. “He couldn’t believe it and said it must have fallen out of his paperwork Monday,” said Morgan. “He thanked me and said he would come and pick it up.”

After a few hours with the check and a no-show by the owner, Morgan then decided to call the attorney whose name appeared on the check. “I told him I believe I have a check that belongs to one of his clients,” said Morgan. “He asked me where did I find it and I told him.

“He then asked me how much was it. I told him and his reply was, ‘It sure was.’

“He came down and got the check.”

The owner came to Burger King a little later and gave Morgan a check for $100 for his kind deed.

Morgan said he couldn’t believe the reaction he’s received from friends and acquaintances when he told them about finding the check and the reward he received.

“They tried to convince me that it should have been more,” said Morgan. “For me, it was not about a reward or anything like that. It was about doing what I know in my heart was the right thing to do.”

He credits the upbringing of his parents Madison McKinley and Mary Esther Morgan.

Burger King Manager Ricco Dockery, who was on duty Saturday, said, “I’m not surprised that Paul would do this. That’s just the type of person he is.

“We are all proud of him.”