On the Sunday before Memorial Day I was going through the line at the Piccadilly Cafeteria in the Jackson Medical Mall, and I exchanged pleasantries with one of the women working there. I have seen her from time to time over the last few years. She remembered that I like the salmon patty, but I have been trying to stay away from fried foods lately, so I just got a vegetable plate.
She finished serving my third vegetable and looked aside as she told me that she was going to have to be “away for a minute.” I silently wondered if she couldn’t just go on and serve me a cornbread stick before she had to go.
It turned out that she was going to have hip surgery. She mentioned that her problem was related to a serious automobile accident when she was younger. The surgery would be at the University Medical Center, but she didn’t know how long a recovery period to expect. I told her that I’d certainly be glad to see her when she got back. She smiled and thanked me as she got my cornbread stick.
I have come to believe that these small, unexpected moments are what life is really about. I still don’t know her name, but so what? She just needed to know that she mattered. We all need that.
I just learned that her name is Freda.
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