The Old Woman With The Cane

After a long day of going back and forth to doctor's appointments for my fiance's father and his ill sister, I was just about ready to fall over in sheer exhaustion. However, something inside keeps you going because, well, you have to.

As we were leaving our last appointment, I was walking behind the three of them and noticed an old woman with a cane and special walking shoes attempting to step from the curb and get into the waiting car.

At first I thought for certain that the driver, whom I assumed was her daughter, surely would get out and help her.

She didn't.

I knew I had to get to my own car and unlock it so that the others could get in.

But, how could I pass this woman by? The wind was cold and strong and she looked as if she would fall.

I stopped and asked her, "Do you need a hand?"

She looked at me as if surprised. Not afraid, but surprised.

"Yes I do, if you don't mind."

My heart started crying. Why wasn't the driver of the car doing this? What was going on here?

I took her hand as her other supported her with the cane and told her that I had her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I've got 'ya. You're not going to fall. Now place one foot down and then the other."

After feeling my secure grip, she stepped down from the curb. She was so unsteady that I couldn't see letting go of her.

"The door's unlocked. I can get in."

"No, that's okay, I don't mind. Let me hold you while we get the door open."

There was no way she'd get into the car, or, if she did, it would have been at the risk of falling if left to do it alone.

All the while the driver just sat and watched with a very frustrated look upon her face.

The old woman opened the car door and I helped her in. She sat and couldn't thank me enough. I told her not to mention it and that's what people are for. I even laughed to make her feel better and said, "I'm used to this!"

I am used to it, and I don't mind it. My fiance and I are getting quite accustomed to helping his dad's ill sister into the car and his father, too. It's just what you do.

Well, it's what most people do.

After the old woman was seated I tucked her coat into the car so it wouldn't get stuck in the door. I looked at the driver who didn't even say thank you. She just rolled her eyes as if to say, "My mother is a pain in the behind."

SORRY! She's NOT! She's a person damn it all and you should have gotten yourself out of the car and helped her! Oh, I wish I'd said that, but I couldn't.

The look on the old woman's face was enough. She knew someone cared, even if a stranger.

As they began to pull away I was back at my own car and all were let in. My fiance saw and heard what happened and he quickly got out of the car and ran to the car pulling out.

He went to the driver's side and I wondered what he was going to say. I knew he wouldn't cause a scene, but I just wanted to "let it go".

He came back and I watched the car pull away.

"What did you say?"

"I asked the woman driving if she was the daughter of the old woman."

"Was she?"

"Yes. I told her that she should have been the one to have helped her mother and she said that her mother was able to get in the car by herself."

I said, "What? That woman almost fell! She was struggling terribly! I couldn't even leave her!"

"I know," my fiance said, "and I told her that she should be ashamed of herself and she just looked angry and rolled her eyes."

She never said thank you.

That's not what I wanted. I just wanted her to CARE.

The Universal Law says: What you give you get back. Sadly, someday the daughter will be the one struggling with a cane, unable to get into a car, and there will be no one to help her. I hope she thinks of that and makes some changes before it's too late.

"For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged."   (Matthew 7:2 NLT)

[ by Ellen M. DuBois Copyright © 2001 -- submitted by: Ellen M. DuBois ]