Random acts of kindness

I got to work today and made my usual detour through Starbuckson the way to the lobby (fun fact: there are two Starbucks in the lobby of my building, which always reminds me of the old Onion article about "New Starbucks to open in men's room of Starbucks"). Two women were ahead of me in line, and they were simultaneously being served at adjacent registers. One woman, the shorter of the two, was dressed in a dark, puffy coat and carrying a small bag over her shoulder, and had dark brown hair that looked as if she had just rolled out of bed ten feet away from where we were standing. The other woman was blonde, and tall - as tall or taller than I am (5' 11" or so) - and was well-dressed, looking like she'd spent an hour getting ready this morning. So, the messy hair girl gets to the register, orders her drink, and when it arrives, suddenly says, "I forgot my wallet." Pause. Long pause. As I am standing directly behind messy hair, I internally debate paying for her drink so I can get to the register and order my own drink, but the suspicious Easterner in me wonders if this is a scam she regularly pulls, ordering overpriced coffee and then announcing that she "forgot" her wallet to prey on thegoodwill/harried nature of Starbucks employees. It also occurs to me that she probably did just roll out of bed before heading out to Starbucks, which would explain how she could forget her wallet (and hairbrush, presumably).

Meanwhile, the tall blonde is still getting her order filled. I should mention that the two women do not seem to know each other. But as the long pause starts to turn uncomfortable, she turns to the register at which Messy Hair stands, and say, "I'll pay for it." She hands two dollars to the woman working the register, who then hands $0.21 in change back to Messy Hair! Maybe she thought they were friends. Messy Hair awkwardly gives the $0.21 to the tall blonde, says "Thanks", takes her coffee, and heads off to the confectionary stand. The two women don't speak again. As I leave a minute later, I see the tall blonde walking away, as Messy Hair heads to the same elevator bank I do (ultimately getting out on a different floor in my building).

I record all of this only because I can't figure out how I feel about it. Is the tall blonde a fool for paying for someone she doesn't know? Is Messy Hair ungrateful for offering only a "thanks" and not even making an attempt to repay (e.g., "Tell me where to send you $2") in some way, even if the effort is only token? Am I ungenerous in not paying for Messy Hair? Is paying for people like this unusual, particularly in Manhattan? Can I start "forgetting" my wallet and get free coffee? If so, I am going to start ordering more expensive drinks.