Alterum Alterius Auxilio Eget (Each Needs the Help of the Other)

As I was leaving work one day, a tiny old lady (probably 4'8" tall) stopped me and asked if I was going towards the hospital across town. She had this cute accent I couldn't quite make out. Was it Italian? Anyway, I asked her why and she said she needed a ride home (which is near the hospital across town) because she missed the bus and she didn't want to walk home in this heat. She looked harmless (and unarmed) and I just couldn't say no to her. If I didn't take her home, what if she passed out because of heat stroke?! So I said, "Sure, I can give you a ride home." We walked to my car and after I got in, I looked over to the passenger side and noticed she had a little trouble getting in. She asked for my arm so she could anchor and pull herself up into my SUV. Once seated, she made a far reach just to shut car door but boy did she have muscle because she slammed it with no problem.

As we were riding, she asked many questions. What do you do? Are you married? What does your boyfriend do? Does he have a house? Oh you need to marry him! She also asked, "How old do you think I am?" I told her, "I bet you're older than you really look." I guessed 78 but she never confirmed. Somehow she avoided the question and went on to tell me other things about how she has no friends, how she longs for someone who understands her, how she's not close to her family, how she never trusted anyone enough to grow close to, etc. She then told me about her physical therapist/confidant who has been there for her but now feels that he's toying with her emotions. He calls himself her friend but won't give her his phone number and suggests that he'll call her but then never does. She thought it was absurd! How can he call himself her friend? So one day at church she told him, "You are NOT my friend," and she said this really got him mad. Then she looked at me and asked, "What do you think? What should I do? I should not have said that." Um, wait, you're asking me for advice?

At this point, we arrived in front of her apartment. She closed our conversation by asking if we could exchange phone numbers so we can talk and she can tell me her problems. I relunctantly took out my cell phone and started typing in her phone number. She asked if my number was long distance and I told her it was so then she quickly changed her mind.

I feel bad for this poor lady! She has no close friends or family and she sounds so lonely! And just as I'm typing this, I think I know what she needs: a therapist.

By the way, her accent was Lebanese. I asked.

P.S. The title of this blog is named after the motto of Phi Delta Chi. They are the Greek letters on one of my boyfriend's pens and that's what made me think of it. We really do need the help of others around us, whether we think it or not.