I had just set my bowl of soup in the microwave when a colleague said " a lady is here, asking for you - shall I tell her you're at lunch?" With a sigh, I followed her knowing I couldn't do otherwise.

An Iranian lady who I had loaned a nickel so that she could finish her copying last week was waiting. Last Thursday she had a $5 bill but no more change and I told her she'd get a bucket of change in return if she used that large bill. So she most gratefully took my nickel, promising to pay me back. I waved her off, of course.

So here she was, nickel in hand, pressing it into my hand and covering mine with both of hers. "You are so kind to me always," she said, " but you really saved my day last week."

A nickel.

A bond.