Taking my kids outside is their joy, especially when they’re at the park running, sliding, climbing. Or in a swing. That makes me feel great—to always see my children happy and healthy.
One day, after my son arrived from Pre-K, he whined, “Mommy, Mommy!”
“Yes, Mommy?” I said.
He continued to whine, “Slide, slide!”
I quickly finished cleaning the sink after cooking and feeding my kids. Then, I dressed them, and we left the house for the playground.
The weather wasn’t great. It was a little breezy, but I dressed my kids so they would be warm. As I was walking down the street, I noticed a black cross-body bag that was in great condition in the road. I instantly looked in front of me to see if it had fallen from someone ahead of me. There wasn’t anyone. I picked it up. I felt something was in it. I put it in my stroller, then continued on my way to the park.
When I arrived, I played with my kids until sunset. After I arrived home, I called my husband and told him about what I found. I opened the bag. It was filled with bank cards, a Medicaid card, and approximately 300 dollars and change. There was also an ID card. I was so happy to find an ID card. I now knew who the bag belonged to. It belonged to a beautiful Jewish woman whose address was a couple of blocks from mine.
The next morning, I woke up, dressed myself in a hijab, as is traditional for a Muslim woman. Then I dressed my kids and we walked toward the woman’s address, to return the bag. When I arrived, I rang the building’s bell. Suddenly, a man dressed in traditional Hassidic Jewish clothing opened the door. I heard a lot of people inside. The man asked me, “What happened? Why are you here?” I said, “Excuse me, I am here to find this lady.” I showed him the ID card. He replied, “We are praying, and you are at the wrong door!”
Suddenly, more Jewish people started coming out to see what was happening outside their door. I didn’t know their intentions toward me, being that I am a Muslim woman. One of the men pointed me to the house door that had the same address, only one tree away from where I was. He started smiling at me and thanking me. He walked two steps and shouted the name of the person on the ID card. “Hannah Berger! Hannah Berger!” I still remember her name. She showed up from her second-floor window with a towel around her head. The man shouted to her, “This lady found a bag that belongs to you!” I could see her smiling. She quickly came down the stairs with her young daughter. She said, “Thank you so much. Where did you find it?” I told her how I was walking, saw it, and picked it up from the ground. She started thanking me again.
I laid the bag on the ground after the man who addressed me told me that it was a holiday for them and that they are not allowed to touch anything that has money in it. I said, “Sure, I will put it down for her.” The lady gave my kids a bag of candy after she asked if it was okay. I told her it was.
They all started saying, “Thank you. You are very nice.”
When I first arrived, and the Jewish man opened the door, he was shocked and a little mad because I guess I interrupted them. By the time I left, they were all very happy and smiling.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had done my duty. My kids enjoyed the candy, too.
Yasmeen Alreyshani studies in the High School Equivalency program at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, where John Kefalas is the site adviser and Rebecca Gallagher is the site director. Born in Yemen, Yasmeen Alreyshani came to the United States when she was eight years old, and now she lives with her family in Brooklyn. She would like to work as a nurse someday. Right now, she’s focusing on raising her two young children.