Something happened at CVS recently that I didn't expect and haven't stopped thinking about since.
I'd gone in to pick up prescriptions. While I was there, I grabbed one more item, a $39 "medicinal" purchase of a different sort, and brought it to the register.
My wife and I both have CVS membership accounts, and every so often there's a discount waiting for us. I hadn't brought any coupons, so the cashier kindly checked both of our phone numbers. Nothing. I smiled, thanked her, left the item on the counter and turned to go.
Then I heard a voice behind me: "Sir, sir!"
A young woman, standing with her daughter, had been watching. "If you need it," she said, "I'll buy it for you."
I was stunned. I thanked her and told her it was OK.
She didn't take my first no for an answer. "I'd be happy to buy it for you if you need it," she said again.
By then I was a little overwhelmed. I told her how generous that was and how much I appreciated it, but that it wasn't something I needed right away.
I walked out empty-handed, but I didn't leave with nothing. I left thinking about her daughter, who had just watched her mother offer help to a stranger without hesitation, and about the kind of person that little girl might grow up to be.
We hear plenty about what's wrong with the world. This was a reminder of what's right with it, and with Riverside. It's a great city, and that afternoon gave me renewed hope for its future.
By Bob Sirotnik
