Angel on the Sidewalk

The bright sun and blue skies screamed Spring that Saturday afternoon.
“I’m so sorry I can’t help you,” my husband said as he hugged me tight,” but you know that medical residents are expected to work long shifts and get no free weekends during first year of training.”

We were in a new country, a new city and had no friends, which forced me to navigate my way through our new reality on my own. I grabbed the Yellow Pages, the only resource before cell phones and GPS’ existed, searching for a park in the area. Venturing out was an attempt to calm my lonely heart as much as our two toddler girls’ outbursts of vitality, too strong for our tiny second-story apartment.
I studied the map, marked the route with a highlighter and placed it on the passenger seat.
I buckled the girls in their car seats and headed out. Traffic on the freeway was bumper to bumper, so after consulting the map I decided to take the next exit to bypass the traffic jam. Unbeknownst to me, the streets turned and twisted more and more away from the freeway.
“Are we there yet?” asked one of the girls.
“How much longer mommy?” Chimed the other one.
I searched for a gas station, but I only spotted businesses and factories, all closed on the weekends. The more I drove the less people I saw on the streets and the more desolate it became. The sun was going down faster than my faith. I bent over to look at the map one more time and must have swerved a little too much to the right because I felt the tire hit the curb, followed by a loud pop. I stopped the car and got out, just to discover a flat tire.
“Oh Lord, please help!” I prayed “I don’t know how to change a tire!”
I reached in through the window of the passenger side to search the glove compartment for the owner’s manual.
“Excuse me ma’am, do you need help?”
I turned around to find a tall, dark hair, middle aged man standing behind me.
“I have a flat tire, and I’m lost,” I said struggling to keep it together.
“Don’t worry, I can help you,” he said calmly. “What are you doing in this part of town?”
I proceeded to share the story of my life with the stranger through uninvited sniffles and a quivering voice.
He grabbed the tools and proceeded to change the tire as he listened patiently.
“Lady, it is dangerous to be in this area at night. I’ll tell you the quickest way to get back to the freeway, ok?”
He stood up, placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled. “Don’t lose hope. Everything will be alright, you’ll see…”
Those simple words fell on my heavy heart like a warm hug.
“How much do I owe you?” I asked, hoping he didn’t notice my teary eyes.
“Absolutely nothing,” he insisted. “I’m doing just what I would like someone to do for my mother or sister in a situation like this.”
“But I insist,” I said as I turned to grab my wallet from the passenger seat.
“Here you go Mister…” My hand froze in the air as I turned to find an empty sidewalk.
I ran to the back of my car, looked up and down the street but there was no sign of the man.
I used his directions to find my way back to the freeway and eventually home.
My husband ran outside to greet us.
“Where have you been?” He said “It’s already dark! And why are you holding that bill in your hand?”
Still dumbfounded I blurted out my experience.
“I don’t understand,” I said “I literally turned around for a second to get the money out of my wallet. How could he disappear so fast? And why?”
“You know honey”, my husband said as he held my hand. “I think you just met an angel on that sidewalk.”
I think he was right. The following Sunday I found a park closer to our home and it happened to back up to a church, which we started attending. It wasn’t long before we met new friends who became our new family. And I never felt lonely again.