Standing in a long queue
at the pharmacy is always stressful. It
often seemed to Nancy as she needed
medication for shingles and was at
the end of an emotional tether, all the people ahead of her needed so much.
Some needed translations into Spanish. Some needed
calls made to their doctors. Some
elderly people needed a multitude of
help.
Nancy needed to return home; shingles was eating up any energy she
had. But she would not give up her spot
in the line, since she was the next person up, after a frail old woman finished
talking with the pharmacy technician.
Nancy gritted her teeth, and then overheard the old woman speaking.
“That much? It costs that much?” She opened her wallet. “I don’t have enough…I guess I will have to
wait until next week to pick this prescription up…”
The technician
explained to her that the doctor said she needed
to start taking this prescription today.
The woman stepped away and said she would have to think about what she
could give up today, so she could buy the medicine.
Nancy took her place
in front of the technician. Impulsively,
Nancy leaned in and whispered, “How much
does that woman need to pay for that prescription?”
The technician
hesitated, but leaned forward and whispered, “About fifteen dollars.”
Nancy checked her
purse. She had a five, three ones, and
one twenty dollar bill. She pulled out
the twenty. “Here…I’ll pay for her prescription, but you can’t tell her who gave
the money.”
Surprised, the
technician took the money. As Nancy left
the counter and walked through the store, she heard the elderly woman called
over the speaker. Then she heard the
woman exclaim. Relief was in her voice.
Nancy smiled. She needed
to hear that.
This is a true story. I was there. With my shingles.
