The day that I saw a hero help someone out happened a few weeks ago but I never got to sit down to share it... better late than ever.
I arrived at the bus depot to purchase my ticket for my journey to see my family, and the room where I was to get it is circular, with old carpet that looks to be from the eighties, and chairs lined up all against the wall. It is large enough that about fifteen people can relax comfortably in there to wait for the bus before it gets congested, so its old, but quite cozy.
As the customer service representative and I have our usual chat (I have come here frequently to catch my ride to my family in the great white north of the province I live in so here and I kind of know each other) a tiny dark haired woman enters the room. Being a people watcher and a pretty good reader of folk with my observation skills I sized up the small lady quickly: she doesn't want to alarm or draw any attention to herself, but chewing her finger nails and her eyes are darting about the floor, especially at the chairs, tells it all... she has lost something valuable and is about to have a panic attack if she doesn't find what she is looking for.
The CSR and I both asked if she was alright and what was she looking for.
With a shaky voice and clasping her hands together she said, "I lost my rings."
The CSR had already turned her attention back to writing up my bill and raises her left hand and sticks out her pinky to the lady for her to see. There on the tiny finger is two rings.
"These rings here, my dear?"
I realized there was a diamond ring and a wedding ring on her pinky. The rings looked old, but beautiful. Like something that got older the older they got. Elegant.
The dark haired woman got on her knees like a child at prayer and held the CSR's hand between her two palms and wept.
When her head came up she smiled and said, "I thought to myself: thirty-seven years of being happily married and then I lose the rings...," her voice tremors a bit, "I would have broke his heart."
We all could feel what she felt. Her relief and joy.
After the rings returned to their rightful place on her hand, she held it up and gave a quiet laugh and said, "Oh my, I just can't stop shaking."
The CSR started to explain how a small girl found them, and I decided to give everyone a moment to talk and have some space so I headed outside to wait for the bus, passing a tall skinny man who was standing and smoking cigarettes with a very short person wearing a dark ball cap with small tuffs of hair sticking out from underneath, and they also wore sweat pants and a dark shirt. I actually at a glance thought it was a small, young man.
Suddenly the CSR appeared outside as well and says to the tiny person in the sweat pants and ball cap, "My dear girl come, the rings you returned found their way back to the lady they belonged to and she wishes to thank you.
This was the girl who turned in the rings, the little hero of the day.
The girl blushed and snuffed out the cigarette saying, "That's not necessary, she doesn't have to..." but before she could finish the sentence the CSR reinforced that she go talk to the lady.
Several minutes the little hero returned and it was then I noticed her feet. She was wearing shiny metallic gray shoes with thin-stringed bows on them. This was a complete contrast to the rest of her ensemble.
For the rest of my life I am sure when I consider all the little unsung heroes of the day I will always think of her first.
So if any of you out there ever see a small tomboyish girl in a black cap, sweat pants, and shiny shoes with bows on them, that may be her. And maybe she will save the day again.
~Ange
Copyright 2015 Lucky 33: Stories, Experiences, Perspectives, and Opinions of a Woman Who Made To Her Thirties.
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