A Special Necklace: 5 Brilliant Stories of the Week

A jewelry store clerk with a big heart and a very cool coffee-shop duet make the list:

• Broke Woman Tries to Sell Necklace, Fails Awesomely: When a woman entered a Texas jewelry store with her two children, asking if the store was interested in buying a gold necklace, she explained that it was a gift from her mom but that she needed money to pay bills. The employee asked how much she was hoping to get—then gave her the money and handed the necklace back. It's all on video.
• Coffee Shop Singer Gets Surprise Duet Partner: A ukulele player at a Hawaii coffee shop sang the duet of a lifetime with reggae artist Matisyahu, all the while completely oblivious to his famous singing partner's identity. Matisyahu and his bassist Stu Brooks were getting coffee last week before heading to a Maui beach when they heard the man start strumming the singer's hit "One Day." The resulting video will make you smile.

• Teen Boys Ask for Jobs to Stay Out of Gangs: When four teen boys, ages 13 and 14, approached the head of the LaGrange Housing Authority in Georgia asking for summer jobs, they weren't just hoping for pocket money. "I said why do you want a job? They said so we want get in trouble and we do not want to be in a gang," wrote Zsa Zsa Heard on Facebook. And the best part: "I hired them on the spot!"
• Teen's Tweeted Olympic Dream Comes True 5 Years Later: In the summer of 2011, a 17-year-old heading into her senior year at an Illinois high school announced a goal on social media. "In 2016 I will be 22, graduated from a school I have not chosen yet, and going to the Olympics," Morolake Akinosun tweeted. Well, guess who's in Rio?
• Parents Welcome Identical Triplet Girls in Rare Birth: Each identical triplet is so tiny she can fit in her father's hand. Logan Brown-Fletcher and Amber Hills, 19-year-old high school sweethearts and first-time parents from Oregon, welcomed identical girl triplets Raelyn, Avery, and Elaina on Monday. Their doctor says he's seen only one other set in his 22-year career. They came earlier than expected, but all are fine—and mom and dad have a plan on how to tell girls apart.

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