On Friday I had the pleasure of going out for lunch with two dear friends (sisters). These sisters live alone; their mother died quite some time ago, and their father passed away last fall. We ate at a nice restaurant, and then we bounced around to a couple of different clothing stores. At our second stop the younger sister found a cute dress and went to try it on. While we were waiting the other sister started complaining that her shoulders were hurting. I observed that she was carrying two purses - her sister's and her own - and offered to take one for her. She very carefully handed one to me. I noticed the unusual weight of the bags and raised my eyebrow at her. She leaned over in a hushed tone and said, "Shhh. Our gold is in our bags." My eyes widened with realization. They had literally put all of their gold in their purses because they'd left the house. As women they would have been given some gold jewelry as gifts - probably from their parents and possibly a few relatives, and this gold represented their entire wealth. Suspicious of neighbors and fearful of possible theft, they hadn't risked leaving any treasure behind.
It's been said that people here don't trust the banks. Actually, it's been said that people here don't trust ... anyone. Friday's experience was proof.
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