Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Happy Tuesday.
This Morning was something else. Long story.... I'll try to post it all. Small world. Strange how things work out. I don't know. Back to the theory of "Everything Happens for a Reason". This is one I haven't been able to figure out. BUT, I will.
My sweetie and I had to go to Court this morning. I was the "Star" witness to a reckless driving accident. It was from back in March. The Dumb Ass could have really hurt someone. He cut in front of my hubby and me, and crashed, full force into a telephone poll. Totalled his truck. What a mess. Anyway, that's what I had to go to Court about. However, something totally different happened. I know, I always have a story.........
So, here it goes...
We waited for the guy to show up. It appeared as though he was going to pull a no show. So, the officer asked us to go into the court room, and wait until the case (before us) was over. So, we did. This other case had just begun. Besides them, we were the only ones in the court room.
So, the other case begins. It's about a property rental eviction. No big deal. We know the process well, based alone on the fact that hubby works for a Property Mgmt Company. So we listen. There was a woman sitting there (the defendant). She was an older black woman, with pretty old looking clothes on. Her outer appearance might lead you to place judgement that she didn't care too much for herself. But, no so much the case. She sat and listened to the Plaintiff. Seems she had been having trouble making her rent each month for the past year. I kept looking at her. She really looked familiar. Don't know why....... The way I understood it, she was really only a full month behind. The Manager was there to cancel her newly signed lease, and have her evicted. :( I didn't like that.
Now, it's the defendants turn. She steps up to the box. She swears in, and begins to cry. Fred held tight, on to my hand. He, like me - is very soft hearted. We both felt really bad. Then, she begins to tell her story. She talks about how she has never been in a position like this before. She's in a bad spot, and working really hard on getting out of it. She's worked the same job for 26 years..... We both felt terrible for her. THEN, she mentions how her daughter has been really sick. And, how she recently went through a double lung transplant. WOW - THAT was my light bulb moment. I remembered how I recognized this woman. IT was her daughter. I remembered. Her daughter is a doll. She is a student at Rider!! I love this precious thing. She used to come in to my office a lot. I'd help her. She had tanks, and tubes, and all sorts of things all over her. She couldn't take more than a few steps at a time. She'd have to stop, so she could catch her breath. She was a sweet little thing. And, BOOM... one day she came in. No tanks, no tubes. I had a feeling something good happened. I asked her what was going on. She had the biggest smile you could ever imagine. Told me about her double lung transplant. How she can live again. How she was blessed with new lungs.... and she felt "normal" for the first time in years....
THAT was how I recognized her Mom. She'd also been in the office. Dropping something off, or picking something up, because (then) her child just didn't have the strength to get here........
So, there we are... and I'm about to cry. Fred nudges me. Asks me for a pen, and something to write on. All I have in my purse is a Wal-Mart receipt. I look over, he's writing her a note. Telling her to call him. That he can help her find a place. That he knows people that can help her. A safe place, in her price range. He asks me to give it to her when she's leaving. When I did, she just looked at us with hope in her eyes, as well as tears. It was touching.
Once we left, I was able to tell Fred that I think I knew who the woman was. Well, he was surprised to hear about it, but DID remember me talking about the blessing her daughter got, with having the lung transplant.
Anyway, by the time I reached my office, my phone rang, and it was Fred. He wanted to tell me that "Maxine" (the woman from court) had already called, and gone over to see Fred. He wanted to tell me that it was her daughter, from Rider. Sadly, she's had some trouble with her new lungs. She's been in the hospital now for about 3 months. I hope she'll be okay.....
We're going to help her find a place. We have some connections. Well, hubby does. I will do what I can, too.
What a morning.
My ramble for the day.....