This story just gets more and more bananas.
Shah Alam, a 74-year-old New York City fruit vendor, thinks he got squeezed after learning the artist who sold a piece of artwork that featured a banana duct taped to a wall was purchased from his stand outside Sotheby’s auction house.
The nearly blind Bangladeshi immigrant says he had no idea the piece of fruit he sold for just 35 cents would be resold for such a hefty price until a New York Times reporter told him and it was conformed by Sotheby’s.
“I am a poor man,” he told the Times through tears. “I have never had this kind of money; I have never seen this kind of money.”
Fret not though, for this story does have a sort of happy ending.
An anonymous New Yorker has launched a GoFundMe for the fruit seller and promised to match the first $5,000 raised dollar-for-dollar.
The campaign raised nearly $18,000 so far, which the donor says he’ll personally hand to the vendor on Thanksgiving. As of Dec. 1, it’s not known if the donor managed to find the vendor, but he’s promised to return all the money collected if he doesn’t.