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Adrián Rodríguez is a 17-year-old boy who lives in Chula Vista, California. A few days ago he found a purse that someone had forgotten in a shopping cart at a supermarket.
The young man opened the bag, looked for an identification, and decided to go to the address where the owner lived. He arrived at the house and rang the doorbell, which was answered by a woman who turned out to be the aunt of a former roommate of the owner of the bag. She thanked him for the gesture and took the bag, and then Adrian left.
It could have all ended there. But when the woman who had lost the purse arrived home, she was overjoyed. Eliana Martín—that's her name—was pleasantly surprised to see that nothing she had in her purse that morning when she went shopping at the supermarket was missing.
What do you do when you discover that you’ve been providentially helped by someone who could have taken everything and disappeared?
Eliana Martín realized that the young Adrián (whose identity was still unknown to her) would have been recorded by the video camera at the entrance of her house. She went on social media to ask for help in locating the boy who appeared in the images.
In a short time he was identified and many people were moved to contribute money. To facilitate the award money, with the help of her friend Melina Marquez, Martin created a GoFundMe account asking for donations. The campaign, which is still open at the time of writing this article, has raised more than $17,000.
Marquez wrote on the GoFundMe campaign page: "We believe he deserved a great compensation, and as many people wanted to help for his good deeds here we are ... Please share. He was raised by wonderful parents and this needs to be known. It gives me hope for our next generation. Never judge a book by its cover."
What motivated Adrian?
From this undoubtedly exceptional gesture, there is an even more relevant fact: what motivated Adrian to return the bag?
When the boy was asked about it, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, he answered simply: "I was just doing what my mom always told me when I was little: to do the right thing when nobody’s watching.”
To all the mothers and fathers worried about their teenage children ... Don’t lose hope. Educating your children to be good people is the greatest gift you can give them. The fruits come out when you least expect it, like in the supermarket!
