My mother was sometimes a bit naive.
She once wanted to buy a 'Straatkrant' (like The Big Issue) of a homeless man in Rotterdam, where she worked at a department store. But she only had a banknote of 25 Dutch guilders in her wallet.
"That does not matter, ma'am, I will change it for you", he said. And gone was the guy.
My mother waited for a few minutes for a man who, of course, never came back.
Occasionally, I revived the story. Especially on moments she only wanted to see the positive characteristics in a person. It always ended in calling her 'the ostrich'.
She then smiled and said: "But he may have had an accident. And if not, he had a good day".