I peered up from behind my car, parked near the Roslindale Registry, and saw a man in a contractor's pickup truck, stopped at a light, beckoning to me. I ran over, and he said, "It's just dirty because it was in a bucket of water." Then he handed me a screwdriver and sped off. It was a six-in-one tool with four screwdriver blades, and it took me just seconds to put on my new plates. It worked much better than the Swiss army knife I had been using. I waited for the guy to come back, but he never did. But I'll pass that screwdriver along when I see someone else who needs it.
DEBORAH HOWE
Norwood
FREE SERENADE
In April, as my granddaughter and I crossed the parking lot of Roche Bros. in West Roxbury, an employee smiled, offered us a cart, and asked how old Ella was. When I said she would be 2 the following Saturday, he said he wanted to be the first to wish her Happy Birthday. Then, in full operatic voice, with dramatic arm gestures, he sang "Happy Birthday" right there, at the store's entrance. It turned an ordinary errand into a mini-celebration.
FRAN HAMILTON
Auburn, Maine
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