I have a lot of Faith. It’s hard-won and I sometimes lose it. I will admit that. But I still try because I do truly believe that karma and faith in people will win out.
The kernel of Faith was started when I was about 10 or 11. I had some change on me and my sister wanted a doughnut. We were walking home from the bus stop and there was a tiny bakery on the way home so we stopped there. I picked out two doughnuts and the price came out to twenty five cents more than what I had. I told Chablis, my sister, that we were going to have to split one but the lady behind the counter said to me, “If you promise to come back with what you owe me, I’ll give you both.”
Now, another woman was behind the counter and as if we weren’t standing right in front of them, she said something like, “You’re crazy. They’re never going to come back.”
The first woman responded, “Sometimes, you have to trust.”
I clearly remembered thinking, I will fucking come back with a quarter if it’s the last damned thing I do. Not just to prove the other woman wrong (she clearly thought we were trash) but to prove the woman who trusted me right. I was back with the quarter the next day and she thanked me, after telling the other woman she told her so.
Life lesson learned. Trust given and sometimes received.
It doesn’t always work that way. The key word in that statement is sometimes. But, in order for Faith to work…in order for it to be spread as a message through the people around you, you have to extend trust. And hope for the best.
So, we were waiting to visit Tam Kitteh at the vet’s when a married straight couple came in with a small white dog. He’d been bitten by the neighbour’s dog and needed to be looked at. They were obviously socially impaired in some way and frantic with worry. They didn’t have the money to pay for the vet’s bill… not straight off. He was getting his disability check on Monday and she was going to get her first paycheck from her job some time later that week. The dog was taken into the back and they were frantically calling around, trying to find someone to help them.
We went into the room to see Tam and I decided; Okay, time to depend on Faith. I went outside and spoke to them, telling them both that I’d pay for the dog’s visit if they would come back and put money on Tam’s tab later. Their bill was about $165 and while it’s not a tiny amount, it was small enough price to pay to put them at ease because they were fraught and about at their breaking points.
Today, I got a call from the vets that they came in and put cash down to pay for their debt. Since Tam’s going to go back in for a check up, I told the vets to put it on his tab and we can run it down as we go but more importantly; How was the couple doing? Were they okay?
The dog is fine. Perfect and on antibiotics for the bite and a fox tail they found in the abscess. Brandon and his wife extend their thanks and promise that if they are ever in the same position to help, they will.
And see, that’s enough. Too often, Faith is used for spiritual or religious reasons but we sometimes forget to use it for the most basic of spirits, our humanity. So, if you could, send your best wishes for Chunk’s recovery and his owners’ peace of mind.
And if ever your faith wavers, extend some out and see it returned back to you three-fold.
The tech came in and he’s the guy who we actually knew from our Old Vet before he hied off to Utah. Tony’s a great guy. So I asked him, Hey, is the cat eating or are we insane? He said No, he’s eating. He straightened the vet out on that issue.
WOOOOOOOOOT Dirty Secret is now up for pre-order!
Rhys Ford 