Thursday, May 02, 2013

No Good Deed Should Go Unrewarded...

 
May 2, 2013 at Los Angeles City Hall.  This is Nita:  Everything you could ask for in a government worker


While cleaning out stuff, I found 3 uncashed paychecks from the city of Los Angeles, dated 2005 and 2006.

Today I went down to city hall and found this wonderful woman in the pay controller check reconciliation office. She not only verified my checks were never redeemed, but also checked back through the records all the way to 2003 to find that I had 4 other checks floating around lost somewhere. She helped me with placing a phone call, records and an affidavit faxed over to be signed, and an hour later I feel a little richer than I did when I woke up this morning.

During the time I spent in the office (really cozy with a refrigerator and dining table), I kept her entertained with origami. 

  
  I started with the spinning top, asking Nita if she had any spare paper. When I realized I was going to be there longer, I kept reaching into her paper recycle tray and folded....and reached for more...and folded...

  The room wasn't completely empty, as two coworkers peeked out from their cubicles a ways down to watch me show off my paper glider as I'd throw it and it'd boomerang back to me.











I really appreciated Nita's time and patience with me; I felt like I was able to give her something unique in return, aside from verbal gratitude.



 
Who says taking care of business down at City Hall has to be a tedious chore and a bore?

Then while leaving Glendale Galleria later this afternoon, heading back to the parking structure, a Persian girl that I had walked past stopped me in my tracks to tell me I had dropped $20! I thanked her and told her not to go away.

I raced to my car and grabbed a Herman Lau folded $ flower-in-a-pot in a plastic container and gave it to her, much to her delight and amazement.

I thanked her for her good deed.

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