This year she was 70 years old. She is still full of energy, emotional and very possessive. She can laugh a lot and quarrel a lot, as she always did.

The only thing that has changed is her health. Now and again she feels pain, the illnesses occur more frequently and last longer. That’s old age.

I telephoned her to congratulate her on her birthday and she told the newest story from her life.

She had to go to the doctor and he had prescribed various tests. Blood sample, x-ray, everything one needs for a correct diagnosis. After her tour through the house, which lasted the most part of the day, she arrived back at her main doctors office. She discovered that she must have left her handbag somewhere. She turned round and went back to the examination room, because she was convinced that she had left her handbag there together with keys, money and identity documents. In the first examination room she found nothing and her inner anxiety began to grow. Her bag was also not in the second examination room and she felt afraid, because she was worried about her valuables. Nothing had been left in the x-ray room or someone had taken it maliciously, she thought as her desperation grew. But she didn’t give up and tried once again in the first admission office. She asked whether perhaps someone had handed in her bag there and described the bag in great detail.

The chubby lady behind the desk observed her calmly and listened patiently until the end of her story. Then she asked: “Do you mean the bag hanging over your shoulder?”

Yes, the handbag had been there the whole time and made the odyssey with Auntie Oli. Auntie Oli, overcome with a feeling of absolute good fortune, took her purse out of the “found” handbag and gave this bearer of good news a large tip.

Image source: Ruth Rudolph  / pixelio.de