Pleasantly Surprised

A co-worker of mine is leaving next week for London, her hometown, where she retreats every summer with her 2 sons. She told me they usually visit the motherland several times a year, and always stay for the summer months. I'm jealous!
At any rate, I've really enjoyed getting to know this co-worker for the 2 months that I've been at Columbia. She was filling in for the receptionist (whose last day happened to be my first day), until our new receptionist started this week. So now, she just does random things in the office (sort of like my Hopkins job) and generally amuses people with her smart, British outlook. A few days ago, I got some bad news regarding taxes, and was visibly upset at work. Not only did she come over to comfort me and share some personal experiences that made me feel better, but this morning, she came into work with a gift for me. A gift! She handed me this little box, and said "I'm never going to wear this, and I knew this would match that blue skirt you were wearing the other day." It's a beautiful necklace, brown and blue- the exact colors I had on a few days ago. I was really surprised at such a lovely gesture. I was even more surprised at the necklace itself- it's totally something I'll wear!
So I will be sad to see her go. I'm not sure if she'll be coming back in the fall, but I certainly hope to stay in touch. It's nice to know that in a city where everyone is primarily concerned with themselves, there is room for selflessness.