THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS.

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS. I lived and worked in New York for the first time during the summer after my second year in law school. I was exhausted at the end of the summer when it came time to move back for my third year. I had had a kidney infection for a long time and it had not been diagnosed until that summer. I packed all that I had in the New York apartment into a very large suitcase and set out for the Port Authority bus terminal. It was a hot steamy August day. This was before suitcases had wheels. I lugged the suitcase to the subway stop, going more slowly and stopping more frequently as I went on. When I got to the Times Square subway stop, there was a long tunnel to the Port Authority terminal, it was much hotter, and I was stopping every couple steps. Then an older man came along and offered to help me. He had no trouble carrying the suitcase and I puffed along behind him. When we got to the terminal, he offered to watch my suitcase while I got my ticket. I didn’t want to leave my suitcase, and we were discussing this when a roughly dressed man came up, flashed a badge, told my good Samaritan to get lost, and told me that he was a notorious bag thief. I tell people that my experience with bag thieves has been positive.