Hugs Between Strangers

I sat outside the vet hospital, waiting for my appointment to pick Solomon (my 9-year-old pit bull and best 4-legged friend) up from his 2nd ACL repair surgery. About the time I needed to get inside, the lady parked next to me brought her pit bull out and opened the back door to put her in the car.

I waited.

After a few moments of watching her adjust the blankets, I decided I could still get out and offer to help if she needed.

I opened the door & stepped out and she closed the back door and stood looking at me with a rather strange look on her face. She heaved a heavy sigh and looked pitifully at me.  "SOOO stressful!" she said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket.  "I feel like I just want to burst into tears!"

We chatted a few minutes and I learned that she had just come from her consult with the same surgeon who had just performed the surgery on Solomon. Her dog, too, had a torn ACL. Her dog, too, was a pit bull - a dog she'd found, and bonded with and came to know as her very loyal companion. A wonderful dog that defied all the stereotypes of the breed.

We had much in common in only a two minute chat.  We bonded instantly.

"You're from Pennsylvania?!" she asked, surprised, nodding at my license plate. I explained Solomon's first failed ACL repair and the recommendations that got us here. I also described my very positive experiences with this doctor and this facility.  She was unsure.  "I was complaining about my 20 minute drive to this place," she said after I told her we'd driven 2 hours. "I saw a billboard by my house," she said.  "ACL surgery for $2,000." She paused.  "It's not about the money.  I mean, I'll do whatever I have to do for her," she added, glancing at her dog in the back seat.

We walked inside and she went to speak to the assistant she'd talked to during her consult, while I checked in. The same woman who had talked to us in our consult. I could hear them discussing familiar terms and medications.  "Good luck," we told each other as I passed by to cross the room.

I saw her again as she was checking out and I walked over. "They do the follow up and the rehab program here," I whispered in her ear as the assistant watched me. "We did not get that where we went before and it really is important."  She nodded.  "Dr. L greeted us in this waiting room yesterday when I dropped him off for surgery and Dr. L was the one who called me last night to tell me how the surgery went and explained the details."  She nodded again.

As I turned to walk away, she turned around and hugged me.  A perfect stranger before no more than a 5-minute exchange.

There may have been another muttering of "Good luck" as we parted, but there was really nothing more to say.

Sometimes the biggest comfort comes from a stranger....

And I needed that hug as much as she did.