Angels walk amongst us
That day, I finally found the the time to go to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) to have a mammogram done. Because I have postponed doing this for so long, I rushed to the hospital, mindless of the fact that I might not have enough money to pay for the medical procedure. This unfortunate situation, I realized only when I saw the ATM machine by the entrance of the hospital. But the anxious moment lasted only for a second because I thought I could always withdraw some money later.
So after having my request processed, I proceeded to the machine only to find out it was off-line. The guard advised me to go to the Lung Canter in the adjacent building as there was another ATM machine there. It was quite a walk but I didn't mind just so I could have the mammogram that hour. To my horror, it was also off-line! So feeling so helpless but not hopeless, I went back to NKTI to check if they accepted credit card payments. No, cash basis only! So it was back to the reception area to inform them I was pulling out my request and would come back another time because I couldn't withdraw any money from the ATM machines to pay for the procedure.
A lady lining up in the next window heard my predicament and offered to lend me the money. I was so surprised that I could only say it was a big amount of money. She answered by asking if I needed a thousand or two? Flabbergasted, I asked her if she was sure because she didn't know me at all. She said she was sure as she knew exactly what I was going through having had a similar experience before. Embarrassment must have radiated from my every pore but practical me decided to accept her offer. She handed me P1,000 without any fanfare much to the amusement of the lady handling my papers. When I was at the cashier, she even asked me if the money she gave me was enough. We exchanged names and numbers and that was that! I still couldn't believe this was happening to me.
While waiting for my turn, I espied her seated by the Ultrasound section so I handed over the P500 I had in my wallet and told her I would pay the other P500 soon. While thanking her profusely for trusting me, I was called by the nurse for my procedure so I never got around to ask her how I would pay for the remaining amount.
It was only later in the evening that she replied to my text messages. We made arrangements on how I would get the money to her but more important than that we also got to talk a while on our landline phones exchanging details about our lives.
In the midst of grayness in my life the past few weeks, she was a golden moment. She was a streak of color I needed to help make the feeling of desolation fade away. In her text message, she said she found a new friend. Yes, I did too and she was no less than in the person of an earth-bound Angel. Thank you so much, Jojie N. !
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