@ the corner

It was around 10:00am and I was playing Go Fish with Eva and Katy when Mami Maria asked me if I could do her a favor. The other Mami who is usually here in the morning didn´t show up to work because she is sick. So I was asked to make a trip to the hospital to do something with some papers for two of the girls...I didn´t really understand exactly what I was supposed to do. But a pile of papers and forms were plopped into my hands. I was reassured when she told me that one of the girls, Susana, would be going with me and would explain exactly what I needed to do when I got there. When we got to the hospital, Susana said she was just dropping me off and had to go to school. She scribbled some stuff that I was supposed to ask for on my arm, left me in a line, and was off. lovely.

I was in line for two hours before it actually started to move. After standing in several lines, paying fees for medical histories, more lines, and making two appointments for the next day, I was done. It was around 1pm and I decided to sit for a couple of minutes outside before heading back to the girls´ home. An eldery woman was approaching me. She wore long gray braids under her hat which was full of some of the brightest flowers I´ve ever seen. When she got closer I smiled and said, ¨Allillanchu,¨ which is Quechua for ¨Hello¨ or ¨Good day.¨ Her face lit up. She set her cane down and stood next to me. I asked her what her name was and she must have thought I knew a lot of Quechua because she started talking really fast. All I understand was that she was going somewhere...the rest of it I just smiled and listened. I felt her eyes blaze right through me. Then she held out her hand. It took me a second to realize she was asking for money. I reached into my bag and handed her five soles. When she saw it, she immediately without hesitation threw her arms around me...mumbling sweetness to me and holding me tight.

She didn´t hesitate or hold anything back. It caught me by suprise. It was so genuine. I needed that hug. It felt so pure...from a perfect stranger who hadn´t thought twice about what she was doing. It was her reaction...without thought. She and I had no past, no shared experiences, no background together whatsoever. And just like that she shattered my world and showed me love without words. We stood there for a while. She didn´t seem to want to let go so I put my arms around her. The top of her head almost reached my shoulders.

She threw me a last twinkle from her eye before walking off. I watched her as she picked up a rubber band that was on the sidewalk. She looked back, smiled, and was off. Tears streamed down my face. I´m not even exactly sure why. It´s not that I felt sorry for her...it was her embrace that moved me. It felt like a brief moment´s release from something caging me in. And I cried there on the corner of Avenida la Cultura and Manzanares.

As quickly as she had come, she was gone. I was left with a full and grateful heart for the warmth of a pure hug. Thank you, God.