Tonight when i stepped off the train at my stop, there stood , at the top of the four levels worth of stairs, a little elderly lady with one of those little metal carts. Her little tiny old lady head was wrapped in a blue scarf. She was hunched over the cart. People just kept passing her by. I stopped. Because I couldn’t not stop. I was supposed to help her. I knew it.
I approached her slowly as to not startle her. I didn’t want to get smacked in the head by a big black purse.
“Excuse me, would you like some help with the cart?”
“Ohhh, yes please. thank you. You see, no one stops.”
It then occurred to me…how LONG had she been standing there? How many 7 trains had rushed by her? How many hoards of people had avoided her gaze and left it to someone else to help her?
I took the cart and went down the first two levels. I looked back up and there she was…taking one step at a time. Slowly, very slowly. Holding on to the railing with both hands, side stepping it to the bottom. Once she was down she looked at me…
“Oh thank you.”
“Well, here….let me take it down the last two levels…we aren’t there yet. Ok?”
She smiled.
“Your a God send. My angel tonight.”
Then she stared at the metal turn styles that were still keeping us in. I could see she was puzzled. I wondered how often she went out like this that the subway exits would look so foreign to her.
“Let’s go through the door, the alarm will sound, but so what”. I smiled. “We’ll be rebels.”
She started to laugh and said “What ever you say!”
I suddenly had a feisty partner in crime.
We got to the second set of stairs that led us out.
“I’ll take the cart down and meet you at the bottom.”
This next level turned and she wouldn’t be able to see me at the base until she turned the corner. I wanted to be clear I wasn’t making a run for it with her red metal cart.
“Ok….this may take me a minute or two more. These are steep. I have to look at the wall, not down.”
She started to hold the metal railing and take her first step. Then she stopped and looked up at me.
“What’s your name?”
I told her.
“I’m Betty.” she said.
“Nice to meet you Betty.”
“Ok, let’s do this.” she said and I started laughing.
I met her at the bottom of the stairs. About three minutes later she rounded the corner.
“Hiya Betty!” I said, acting like we were old friends.
She laughed and paused for a break.
“Your movin’ quicker on this flight I think Betty.” I teased.
“Ya think?” her eyes were a bold blue and literally twinkled.
Two minutes later she was at the base. I handed the red cart back over to her. She took my hand.
“Thank you…thank you.”
“Happy Holidays” I said and stared into those stunning eyes, heavily lidded or not with age, you could not take away the beauty of that blue.
“Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.”
“Bye Betty!”
“Bye!”
And then she was off, pushing the cart, in a light drizzle.
The entire exchange took a good fifteen-twenty minutes from the moment I offered at the top of the subway platform, to the time we said goodbye.
This is the spirit of Christmas. This is the exact reminder I needed. This is what I had forgotten.
Turns out Betty was my “God send”. My “angel”.
My Christmas Angel.
