Return of Purse Affirms Good Left in the World

* We hear so much that is negative these days, that I thought something more positive might be in order.

Recently, the city was offering for sale at Pierce College a specially priced composter and a composting workshop to go with it. Since I have a garden, I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity. But when I located the campus, parked my car and then couldn’t find my purse, I realized that I had put it on top of my car and forgotten it, leaving it to slide off as I drove. Like most women, I carry my whole life in my purse, lots of things that don’t get included in those one- phone- call- reports- them- all policies, things that take hours and days to replace. To add to my particular woes, because I had planned to stop at the bank, there were also two ATM deposit envelopes and more cash than I usually carry since I wasn’t sure how much the composter would cost.

You can imagine my state as I hit the freeway back to Hollywood. I tried not to think about driving without a license, and whether that was a jailable offense. This was one situation where there was not likely to be special dispensation for my senior citizenship--instead it would be assumed I was suffering from Alzheimer’s and I wouldn’t be allowed to drive any more. By the time I got home, tears were running down my cheeks and I was composing my appeal to the judge.

My heart jumped when I saw that my answering machine was blinking. It could have been anyone, of course, and maybe it was no more than wishful hoping, but I knew I could forget about the judge. I was right. A man’s voice announced he had found my purse in the street and that if I would be there, he would bring it to me in an hour. He left me his name and a number where he could be reached and he arrived, true to his promise, my purse intact, everything , including the money, intact. I would have given him half the money, but he wouldn’t hear of a reward. I’ve heard that if you save someone’s life, you’re responsible for them. Maybe he was afraid I was laying claim to that responsibility when I told him he was a hero. Maybe that’s why he wouldn’t even accept a cup of coffee.

Anyway, I thought it would be nice to note that there are still good people in the world.

HILDA BOHEM

Hollywood