the kindness of strangers (lyn)

It’s 10pm.  I just finished the arduous task of putting five, recently dry-cleaned covers back on the seat cushions of my sofa.  It's taken an hour.  I’m exhausted from the effort and hot from the heat.  I want to reward myself.  I walk over to 16 Handles.  As usual, it’s busy.  Tonight my two favorite sorbets are on tap:  mango tango and pomegranate raspberry.  I skip the long line for toppings and go to the front to pay, but I have no money.  I switched purses before leaving and forgot my wallet.  I have no cash AND no debit card AND the nearest bank is several blocks away.  I offer to pay with my American Express; it’s the only form of payment I have.  The young boy-cashier smiles and says, “It’s okay.  Just take it.”  And if that isn’t nice enough, he then hands me a loyalty card with a check on it for tonight’s “purchase.”

Whoever said New Yorkers aren’t kind must have been thinking of a different New York.