I went with the children to the park near the bus stop. A neighbor arrived with her children, waiting at the stop for a bus. She told me that every week, she has to travel to the lost and found department to retrieve her son’s lost belongings—each time, it’s something different: one time a bag, another time a coat. The main thing is, he always forgets something on the bus, and so, every week, she takes the whole family on a trip to the lost and found...
She boarded the bus, and my son, who had overheard my conversation with the neighbor, told me that he has a friend just like that—absentminded and constantly forgetting his belongings on the bus or at the station. He went on to say that just today, his friend forgot his bag at the stop, and he had to chase after him to return it after he had already boarded the bus. (Of course, the entire conversation took place without mentioning names, to avoid any issue of lashon hara.) Then, with a chuckle, my dear son added: “He’s so absentminded that he has already forgotten twice that he had a dentist appointment and just didn’t show up!”
The moment he said that, I suddenly remembered—my own dear son had forgotten to go to his haircut appointment last week! And today, he had another appointment scheduled... I quickly asked him, alarmed: “Aren’t you supposed to have a haircut today?!”
He jumped up and realized that the appointment was in exactly fifteen minutes. If he waited for the bus, he would likely miss it... I called my husband, who happened to be in town, and the devoted father immediately drove him straight to the barber.
And so, through a remarkable twist of Divine providence, the neighbor’s story led my son to speak about his absentminded friend with a tone of sympathy—ultimately saving him from the embarrassment of missing his appointment twice in a row! ש.נ.
