Lost Old Lady
Sad thing in Santa Monica from the other day -- a tiny elderly Japanese woman was tottering down street toward me, tightly clutching her purse to her body, looking afraid.

I smiled gently at her and she came over to me, said something I didn't understand (probably in Japanese), touched my pants and said something about them (they were glittery linen) and then scurried away.

I think she might've had dementia, but I didn't know what to do. (It wouldn't do to chase her.) So I called the Santa Monica Police Department, described her and said she was disoriented and afraid, and maybe has dementia or something ailing her, and thought somebody might be looking for her. They said they'd send a car.