Dear editor,

Today I was twice blessed! I had gone through the checkout line at Aldi’s store in Covington; Aldi does not accept credit cards and (I had three of those!) was embarrassed that I could not find my debit card. Had I lost it? I would have to phone the bank and get a replacement went through my mind. I went through my wallet twice, so sure it was in there, but still could not find it. I asked the checkout lady if she would accept some $12 in cash I had and remove remaining amount owed. She took the cash and told me that there was still some $17-plus remaining. People were getting impatient behind me and I felt pressed to solve the problem and get out of their way.

Then a gentleman behind me told the cashier that he would pay the amount. I protested as he was a senior like me and I told him that I could not let him do that. He insisted and gave the cashier a $20 bill to cover the amount owing. “Please let me have your name and telephone number so I can repay you,” I insisted. No, he would not give me his name and phone number despite my insisting several times. Finally he said his name was “Buster”. [Easy to remember as I have a pet by the same name!]

When he left I again searched thru my wallet and found my debit card tucked away in a side pocket so that I would not use it (I only like to use it at the ATM – or at Aldi’s!). I rushed into the parking lot and went from car to car about to leave to find this generous man, but he must have left as I could not find him.

I then went across the street to Wal-Mart and did a little shopping hoping that I might run into Buster. No luck. I put my purchases into my car, took out my car keys from my pocketbook, opened the car door and drove off. As I was stopping at a red light I looked on my seat for my pocket book, it was not there! Shocked I took a side street and went through the entire car. How had I taken my car keys out of my purse and not had the purse in my hands when I got into the car? It had all my credit cards medical cards, diving license, etc. in it. I turned the car around and drove as quickly as I could back to Wal-Mart parking lot; there was the cart I had left but it was empty. I parked, got out and started to search the car again. Adjacent to where I parked was a senior lady in a white car waving at me.

“I found your purse and gave it to someone to give to the security inside Wal-Mart”, she told me. I gratefully thanked her and quickly went inside. At the customer desk area a man stopped me and asked if I had lost a purse. “Are you a security agent?” I asked. “No, I got it from the lady in the parking lot and gave it in to be locked up.” At which point a Wal-Mart employee looked at me, unlocked their office and brought me my pocket book. Such relief and gratefulness surged thru me.

I then told them that this was the second time this morning that something unexpectedly wonderful had happened to me and told them about my Aldi experience. There was a senior man with the younger man who said to me that it was so good to hear positive stories today and that the younger generation needed to hear them! When I got back outside the store sisters Heather & Martha were waiting for me to be sure I found my purse! They told me they were so sure I would return that they had waited for me!

So I am writing this to first thank Mr. Buster at Aldi, and sisters Heather and Martha who waited for me to return to the Wal-Mart parking lot to let me know they had seen me leave my purse in the shopping basket and drive off, and the two gentlemen inside the store (so sorry I can’t recall their names) who had kindly taken it to security.
Please share this and hopefully these generous, thoughtful and kind citizens might see it.

Maureen D. Page