Cida, Maria Aparecida

 

Gray hair, needs to use a crutch, and always wears a cloth mask to protect her from the bacteria floating in the air – every morning she stands at the corner on an extremely intersection.

She smiles when she approaches your car window and smiles, which can be seen in her eyes since she has the mask on. There are some days when she is not there or perhaps it is I who am too early to catch her there.

This morning, I woke up with a strong feeling that I needed to help her out. You see, usually I don´t. There are several reasons for that but nonetheless she always smiles and waves hello or goodbye depending on the traffic light. When I do help her, it is with small change, but today I felt I could give her a substantial amount for her to buy whatever she needed.

As I was driving towards the intersection, I had decided to check my instincts. If she were there, I was supposed to help her, if not, it was just an illusion.

The light was red and there she was. My heart smiled. I called her over, rolled down my car window, said good morning and handed her the folded bill.

With tears in her eyes, she looked at me and asked me whether she deserved that much. I simply said yes. Found out her name was Cida, Maria Aparecida. The light turned green. As I started to drive off, she thanked me and yelled “God bless you”. Little does she know that I was feeling blessed.

Written: February 23,2024

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