Exercise #1 Imagine that you are downtown in a major city during rush hour. Suddenly a woman walks toward you, holding a bag. She meets your eyes, smiles, hands you the bag, and says, "Here you go." Before you can say or do anything, she turns and walks off. Write a piece that begins with or otherwise includes this scene.

Exercise #1 The Bag
Lacey was sitting in front of the Benton building. The place she has been employed for 8 years. She is at the fountain in downtown Chicago at 5pm , all the world is running to get home but she is staring at the water in the fountain in shock. The fountain was filled with coins ,all different types of coins from different people. All wishing for something , anything better. Better than what they had. She thinks , “ maybe, I should have thrown a coin in before I went into work today.” “Today of all days……pink slipped” “Thrown away like used tissue!"  After 8 years and a full days work, they actually waited until the end of the shift to let my whole department go.  A tear rolls down her cheek as some of her former disgruntled co-workers left the building.  They were angry, disillusioneds and just pissed....but Lacey was just sad.  "What do I do now?"

Lacey finally musters up the strength to get up and go home , get online and start looking for work.  She wipes her face , inhales and stands to her feet.  Just as she picks up her purse to leave she is approached by an elderly homeless woman holding a bag.  She walks up to her as if she knew her and came uncomfortably close to her face.  Eye to eye.  Lacey should have been frightened but , but the gaze in her eyes told her there was nothing to be afraid of.  The Bag lady smiled, handed her the bag and said "Here you go." As if Lacey was expecting a package.  Before Lacey realized what was happening, before she could speak, The woman walked away. 

In the years after 9/11, anyone handing a perfect stranger a package is a moment for alarm, a code red alarm at that.  But Lacey just sat down with the bag in her hand and tried to get a handle of the situation.  "what now?"  She wanted to open it, but felt doing it out in the open may have been a bad idea.  Never know who is watching.  She could have easily thrown the bag away , but there was something in the old woman's eyes, it made her calm, and gave her peace.  She could trust her.  This bag and whatever is in it was for her.

Lacey grabbed her purse and her gift and walked briskly to her bus stop.  As soon as she got there, The #13 bus arrived.  She got on and paid her fare.  The bus was crowded so she attempted to grab the hand rail but before she had the chance...."Here you go, miss!"  A young man gave her his seat.  "Thank You!"  Surprised that anyone was giving up a seat these days, especially a teenager.  She sat down and pondered more about her gift.  She was calling it a gift now , cause she knew it was going to be something good.  It had to be. But what could it be?  It's not that heavy, more reason to doubt that it's a bomb or anything malicious.  "It doesn't move."  she shook it, It didn't jingle.  "What if it's money. If it is , Lord I promise I will go to church every Sunday and Tithe every month.  She begins to chuckle to herself.

Her stop approached and she rang the bell to get off.  She sprints to her apartment buildingand goes into her purse to pull out her keys.  Her hands fumbled the keys as if she was being chased and had to get in before her assailant got to her.  She finally gets the key into the lock and lets herself in.  She closes the door behind her and leans against it.  She exhales.  "Why am I acting this way, it's just a bag."  She walks into her living room and throws her keys onto her coffee table.  She plops herself on the couch and places the bag directly in front of her. 

Perplexed and curious she stares at the bag.  She begins to Bite her nails and starts to do a nervous shake with her left leg.  "You are acting like a nut, open the bag!"  She sits forward and attempts to open the bag , when the phone rings.  She practically jumps out of her skin, startled by this unexpected interruption.She begins to laugh at herself.  "I'm making a way bigger deal of this than need be."   She rushes to the kitchen to get the phone.
"Hello."
"Hi may I speak to Lacinda Walker?"
"This is Lacinda Walker."
"Hi my name is Kendra Spencer with Spelling employment agency, and your resume was forwarded to me by one of your co-workers."
"OK????"
"We have a client who is looking for HR Assistants like yourself, and we would like to set up an interview as soon as possible."
" Wow, ...ummm ok!, I am available tomorrow.  Is 9am a good time?
With all the "Bag " commotion she forgot that she had just lost her job.  Once she finished setting up her interview she hung up the phone.  "Thank God, He surely is blessing me today!" She breathed  a sigh of relief and returned to the couch.
She looks on the coffee table.
The bag was gone.