The Gift That Kept on Giving

It was a bad-news, good-news type of day.

It began with a look at the pile of bills lying on my kitchen table, followed by a glance at my bank account balance.
Bad news.

I plunged on a chair and sighed heavily, “Oh, Lord, You’ve never let me down, and I’m grateful for all You’ve given me. But look at all these bills! Would you please send more work my way? I could really use a little extra.”

The phone rang. It was one of the agencies I work for. I was needed for a hearing at Superior Court, but had to be there ASAP. Excellent news!

I changed into my work clothes, brushed my teeth and hair, grabbed my purse and keys, and was out the door in less than 10 minutes. Traffic on the freeway was sparse, so I reached my destination with time to spare (well, almost). Oh, how I love it when things go my way!

I zipped into the underground parking lot, whistling a happy tune, but came to a sudden halt when I read the big, black-and-white sign at the entrance. “Only cash and check accepted.” Oh, oh.

At that particular moment, I didn’t have my checkbook with me, and the contents in my wallet consisted of a few coins and a one-dollar bill. Not nearly enough to cover for parking.

That on itself wouldn’t have been much of problem. Except I was already scheduled for another assignment shortly after completing this one, and I probably wasn’t going to have enough time in between jobs to search for an ATM.

As I rushed toward the court building, I reckoned that if God had blessed me with this last-minute job, He would help me figure out a way to come up with the parking fee and still make it on time for my next assignment.

The hearing lasted a bit longer than anticipated. I hastily made my way through the hordes of people walking through the court’s hallways. What to do, what to do, what to do? There had to be an ATM around somewhere, maybe I could stop at a café and beg for cash back?

Fat chance.

Suddenly, a familiar face came into focus. It was my friend Ramon, who also works as a free-lance court interpreter. Poor Ramon, the last time I ran into him at job site, I gave him a hug and left a big lipstick mark on his shirt collar. “Tell Kathy, it was me,” I had told him as a way of consolation. But I don’t think that help him much. Especially since he had to wear the stained shirt for the rest of the workday.

This time, as I drew near, Ramon uncharacteristically stuck his hand out (you gotta remember, a kiss and a hug between Latin friends is the traditional salutation – we’re very loving that way) and he said, “I would hug you, Ana, but I just walked into the building, and I’m all sweaty.” Yeah, summers in Arizona are a bear, but I suspected that the lipstick incident might’ve had something to do with his formality.

Suddenly, amongst the low-murmurs and noises and throngs of people, I heard a halleluiah chorus, as I realized that the answer to my prayers was standing right in front of me!

“Ramon! Do you have a few dollars to spare?”

The look of perplexity in his face made me sputter, “I-I-I’m sorry, but my car’s in the parking garage across the street… and I only have a dollar… and if I don’t leave right away, I’ll be late for my next assignment.”

I am positive that my rating in Ramon’s you-are-an-idiot-o-meter shot up by several degrees. Still, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a 20-dollar bill.

“Oh, my gosh, Ramon, I only need a few dollars!”

“It’s ok. Take it.”

“But, am I leaving you without any money? Are you going to have enough for lunch or something?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said dismissively, “and go! Or you’ll be late.”

Once again, he offered his hand, but I was so happy that I gave him a big hug and a kiss… right on the shoulder. I tried to rub the stain off in a hurry – unsuccessfully – before running out the door, while shouting, “You should really try to stay away from me!”

“Believe me, I’m trying,” I think I heard him say faintly.

I ran down the street, waving my 20-dollar bill like a little girl waves a school paper with her first A+ as she makes her way home. When I reached the street corner, I waited impatiently for the light to turn so I could cross the intersection.

A woman tapped me on the shoulder.

“Hey, Sister, do you have a dollar to spare? I haven’t had lunch yet.”

I pulled out my one-dollar bill and gladly handed it to her. Being able to help this woman, was great news indeed!

I slowed down my pace, just a little, and made my way to the parking garage, thinking about God’s faithfulness and my friend’s generosity, and whistling a happy tune.