Dear Readers,

Not long ago, an East Boothbay woman was in Portland as part of her tough battle with a bunch of medical issues including the effects of chemo.

It was late in the afternoon and she was on her way home when she remembered she had some guests coming over for a weekend visit. So she popped off the busy highway and headed for Whole Foods. The parking lot was jammed and she had to park a long way from the front door.

Instead of lugging around her heavy purse, she just pulled out a credit card, shoved it in her coat pocket and trudged to the store.

Once inside, she loaded up on fresh produce and other goodies, then wandered into the wine shop. After about 15 minutes of ogling the wine selection, she picked out two nice bottles of white.

At the checkout section, a clerk scanned the groceries and produce. The bill came to nearly $200. The woman held out her credit card.

The clerk then asked for a photo ID, explaining she couldn't buy the wine with out an ID.

The East Boothbay woman, her head swaddled with a bright scarf in an attempt to mask the effects of the chemo, couldn't believe what she was hearing.

“Look at me. I am 80 years old,” she told the clerk, explaining she had left her driver's license out in the car. The clerk suggested she walk out to the car, get her photo ID and come back for the wine.

That was not the answer the woman wanted to hear. She demanded to speak to a supervisor, who told her the same thing.

The upshot was that the 80-year-old woman still needed to show a photo ID to prove she was, in fact, over 21.

Deflated, disgusted, and tired of explaining the obvious to the oblivious, she swiped her credit card, grabbed her groceries and wheeled the cart out of the store into the parking lot.

She was unloading the groceries into her Saab station wagon when she noticed a young man rushing towards her. He was yelling something.

“He sort of looked like part of that nice couple that was waiting behind me in the checkout line, but I couldn't be sure,” she said.

The 30-ish young man was a bit out of breath when he stopped at her car and held out a bag.

“Here is your wine. I bought it using my photo ID,” he said.

The woman was surprised, and she reached into her purse for some cash and he waved her off.

“No, no,” he said. “We just want you to have a good day.” And he walked away.

The woman offered her thanks, and drove home.

In the confusion of the moment, she didn't get his name, but would like to offer her thanks. She thought a letter to the editor of the Portland Press Herald might let him know how she appreciated his kindness.

“It made my day,” she said.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods said they declined to sell her the wine based on a company policy requiring a photo ID for anyone who wants to purchase liquor.

In a lengthy email, she explained the policy was put in place to protect the store clerks who could get in big trouble if state liquor enforcement agents caught them selling liquor to customers under 21.

Maine state law requires store clerks to ask for photo IDs for liquor customers who are 27 or younger.

Spokesmen for the both the Maine Attorney General and the Maine Division of Liquor Licensing and Enforcement, confirmed that there is no legal requirement to require an 80-year-old woman show a photo ID because she just wants to buy two nice bottles of white wine to treat her weekend guests.