I’m a down-on-her-luck type who never wins anything—raffles, free samples, the lottery, you name it—so standing next in line behind someone who pays it forward took me by surprise. It was at the chain coffee shop on the corner of McKee Road and Capitol Avenue in San Jose. You, wearing a baseball cap and a Cal Berkeley hoody, went up to the cash register and then asked me and the next woman in line what we’d like to order. The other lady and I had the same stunned look on our faces, like, “Who, me?” What a lovely way to start the morning. Thank you for picking up the tab. I’ll make a point now of relaying the kindness to someone else.

I Saw You is an anonymous “man on the street” column. Email your rants and raves about co-workers or any badly behaving citizens to [email protected], or send to 380 S. First St, San Jose, 95113. Submissions should stick to about 100 words.