Thank you all very much for the kind replies! It was a fun night ... well actually, it was a fun few minutes!
CLV ... I failed on both fronts. It didn't enter my mind to ask for a check or to have taxes withheld. I was so shocked by what happened .. I simply wasn't thinking straight. A check would have been so much easier. As it turned out, I had to take most of the things out of my purse and carry them in order to fit the money in. A problem I'm willing to have again anytime.
Thanks again,
Barb