The girl with the brown and blond streaks in her hair brushed the crumbs off the table next to me and into a napkin. Her books plopped onto the table as she scooched into the seat.

A few other tableless customers looked on. She noticed a blond, stocky guy standing to her right and smiled at him.

"Would you like to share this table with me?" she asked.

He hesitated and replied, "Oh, um, there's someone else that I'm, um, waiting for that would, um, need a table too."

"Oh, okay," she answered. Then pulled a pen out of her faded blue jeans and stuck it into her mouth as she turned towards her books.

Another girl joined the blond guy and together they roamed the Borders cafe, looking for a free table. The girl next to me played with the hem of her white t-shirt as she looked on. Then she returned to her books.

A few moments passed. Then a clash of ice cubes surprised everyone from their trances. A skinny guy with glasses stood over his overturned cup and a floor littered with ice cubes. The girl next to me rushed over with some napkins.

"Here, let me help you."

He smiled nervously, ears all red, as she brushed the cubes into her hands and rushed to the garbage.

"Thank you, thank you!" he chanted. "Thank you, thank you!"

"No problem," she smiled and returned to her seat.

A few more hours crept by. As I got ready to leave, I noticed that she wasn't at her table. I scribbled on a napkin, "That was nice of you to offer that guy a table and help the other guy with his spilled ice cubes. Have a nice day."

Then placed it on her table and walked out of the bookstore.

. . .

Have you ever seen a good-hearted stranger?