- Such acts happen day after day, hour after hour, but
generally will never be reported. Why? Because it's a condition of selfless
giving - there is nothing to be gained from it - no fame, no fortune, no
applause or kudos - or is there?
-
- Twenty-five years ago I watched a woman walk into the
flooring store I was sub-contracting to, asking for prices of the various
carpets and vinyl floor coverings - she seemed distraught. A lone flustered
sales person unenthusiastically rhymed off prices then, as he slipped by
me, whispered, "She has no money. She's driving me, nuts!"
-
- I watched her drift aimlessly, hopelessly, with each
perspective carpet taking her further from what she wanted closer to what
she could afford. She clutched some paper which she used to calculate the
disappointment of her situation and very limited resources.
-
- I'm not sure why I took such notice of her and her plight.
Perhaps it was the aura of hopelessness which the woman radiated. Perhaps
it was the fact she told the sales person she was recently divorced and
left to fend entirely for herself after giving the man she still loved
everything and despite that, he left her for a much younger woman. Perhaps
it was the fact her brothers took it upon themselves to build her a humble
one story bungalow. Upon reflection however, she reminded me of my mother
who had suffered the same fate.
-
- I busied myself loading my material for that day's installation
all the while keeping an ear to the woman's story of betrayal and heartbreak
- she had two small children. I felt a desire to help but didn't know how.
-
- The woman finally settled on her flooring choices which
came dangerously close to a total which would consume the final funds she
had to her name. The salesperson then asked her if she wanted the material
installed. The life seemed to drain from the woman who'd meticulously calculated
everything to the penny except the price of installation. "How much
is installation?" She asked. The salesperson told her it would be
four-hundred and twenty-five dollars.
-
- She looked down at the papers she'd been carrying and
crumpled them slightly. As the weight of her circumstance settled on her
shoulders her eyes started to pool with tears then she quietly said, "That's
okay. I will install it myself." The salesperson presented her with
the invoice. The woman opened her purse and removed an envelope in which
was enough money to pay for her purchase - she received less than two dollars
of change.
-
- "Joe," I said to the salesperson, "can
I ask you about this job I've got to do?" "Sure." Answered
Joe as the woman folded her invoice copy and put her change away. Joe walked
toward me out of ear-shot of the woman. "Joe, look, I'm going to help
that woman and I'm going to lie like hell. I need you to swear to anything
I say, okay?" Joe looked puzzled. "Look, partner, I will explain
later. Just back me up here." Joe nodded affirmatively. "Okay,
Lea, you lie and I'll swear to it." Joe giggled. "Thanks Joe.
Just keep her here long enough to allow me to get her invoice from upstairs,
okay?" "Okay."
-
- Joe returned to the woman taking her invoice and placing
it in a tube which he shot upstairs by use of a vacuum tube. As Joe talked
to her, I walked upstairs to retrieve the tube and removed the invoice.
I then walked back downstairs with her invoice in hand.
-
- "Joe?" I asked. "Can you place this invoice
on the installation board? Cora just informed me it is the winning invoice
for free installation this month. I guess it's my turn to install this
month's winner." Joe took the invoice and tacked it to the installation
board. The woman glanced at the installation board as I walked toward the
loading dock. I turned to see the woman, her back to me, move to the board
to see who the lucky winner was. "Oh my goodness!" She shrieked.
"It's, me. That's, me. I mean, that's my invoice!"
-
- Joe walked to the board and carefully examined the invoice.
"Well, by God, it is!" Joe laughed in a manner which suggested
it was the strangest thing. "You've won! Of course, we'd have called
you." Said Joe in such a convincing manner I found myself believing
him. "Hey Lea, this is the customer who has won the monthly free installation
draw. Perhaps you can set up the date and details while she is here?"
"Sure Joe. I have a few minutes."
-
- I installed her material that weekend. I even met her
kids - buttons could not have been cuter. The joy I felt in helping her
caused me to think that perhaps receiving is not selfish, but giving, because
of the way if can make one feel. From a cynical perspective one might conclude
this story was written for self aggrandizement - it is not. The real risk
in sharing this story comes from the possibility that a woman somewhere,
someplace, might find out she was lied to. If so, I hope she can find it
in her heart to forgive me - I just wanted to lighten her load.
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