prayers for trudy
"Poor soul," Dad mumbled, slamming on the breaks quickly. Outside my passenger side window, there is a woman standing on the side of the road with her thumb sticking defiantly out in the air. She is freezing, by the looks of her. Obviously been standing there a long time, clutching proudly onto her ragged purse and 4-pack of coolers.
My instant thoughts; Ew Dad, please don't let that crack whore into the car... But I held my tongue. Dad knows what it feels like, having once sold everything and hitchhiking from here to Mexico and back with nothing but his guitar. He feels for the people like this, wearing their dirty layers of clothing and freezing in the harsh weather, hoping and praying that someone driving by would actually look at them instead of looking past. Begging someone silently to pull over.
She ran over to the jeep, as if terrified we were only kidding and would soon drive away. With a smile the size of the sun, she opened the passenger door and hopped right on in.
"You kind angels! You have no idea how long I have been standing out there, Oh thank you so much! Blessed souls, you are!"
She was rambling. Drunk; it was obvious. But something about her seemed to instantly change the atmosphere of the car. Dad asked her where she was off to and she rambled a bit more before telling us she was headed to a motel on the west side.
I quickly realized this woman was going to talk the whole way. It first began by asked Melissa and I how old we were and then by saying how well our Father, Pops she called him, had brought us up. (Little did she know this was the first time we had seen him in over a month, but in her eyes she saw only a happy family.)
Then began Trudy's stories of men. "How old are you again my dear?" she asked as she leaned forward in her seat to be closer to me. Her hair was dirty, a kind of yellow-y blonde, and her face held many wrinkles, both laughlines and stresslines. She reached out a frail wrinkly hand and patted my shoulder delicately. It was obvious she was a lot younger than she appeared. You could tell it in her eyes, so blue, so bright and young and friendly. At any other time, I think I would have felt pity for her, But instead at this moment I felt like I wanted to know everything about her. Her story, shall we say.
"Fifteen," I replied, smiling largely to try and show a bit of hospitality.
"Oh my," she smiled, and shook her head. "Oh my Pops, oh my!" Then leaning back into me, she whispered, "you stay away from those men my dear. They are nothing but heartbreak. I guarantee you, I would not be in the predicament that I am in now if I had not fallen for the wrong man. You watch yourself, many men will come and go, you make sure you find the right one."
She then began talking out loud again. "I lost over a half a million dollars and my house for falling for the wrong man. He broke my heart, and left me alone in this state." It was back to rambling again then, her eyes quickly glazed over as if hit by nostalgia. "I used to be a model, you know?" she whispered, before turning to my sister. "You would never guess now though, look at me!I'm nothing more then an old bag lady, but you," -she leaned over and looked into Melissa's eyes- "you are a beauty my doll. You are young and fearless. Be careful! Don't make the same mistakes I did. Please, don't make the same mistakes I did."
We were silent for a moment before she began talking to Dad. "I really truly want to thank you for helping me out. I can't even begin-"
Dad cut her off. "Don't even worry about it, anything to help out a fellow human being." He smiled back at her and offered her a cigarette which she took kindly.
"And never start smoking!" She laughed at herself, a raspy smoker's laugh. "It shall be the death of me before the poverty, I assure you that much."
When we reached Trudy's destination, Dad pulled over and got out to open her door for her. Before leaving though, she thanked each one of us over and over again.
"Well, I am sure grateful for meeting you people today, you have no idea how much you have helped me out today, on a wickedly cold day as well! Goodbye darling," she said to Melissa. "Don't forget to be anything you want to be, never let anyone tell you that you can't do something."
She then turned to me and reached out for my hand in hers, as a sort of goodbye-shake. "It was a pleasure to meet you," she stated, with as much regalty as could be expected. "You're going to turn out to be a fine young woman, I can tell that much, you watch yourself though child, don't let the wicked ways of the world screw you over."
She laughed again her raspy cackle, and stepped out of the car. Dad went to close the door before she turned back and smiled at us both, before blowing a kiss.
"Goodbye darlings, and don't forget to pray for me. Pray for Trudy dears!"
And although I can solemnly admit, no matter how terrible it sounds that I have rarely ever prayed before, I knew Trudy would be in my prayers tonight. She was so life-like, so real and friendly that my heart ached a little as I watched her slowly walk up to the Motel doors. Why couldn't everyone help the Trudy's of the world? Doesn't everyone deserve a little support every now and then? It could just as soon be one of us standing on the side of the road, begging silently for some kind strangers.
Dad got back into the driver's seat and mumbled "poor soul," again before pulling away. I know to him that this is an ordinary day event. He meets so many people like that, it doesn't quite faze him the same way as I could tell it did to me and Liss.
So Trudy, I want to thank you. You inspired me today and put a brighter outlook on a lot of things. And tonight, you will be in my prayers.
