A Fatal Mistake
Sitting at the bus stop, Morgan couldn’t help but notice the elderly woman making her way slowly but steadily towards the beach. Her shriveled body was covered in layers and her lined face was framed by a silk handkerchief that was tied in a bow at her chin. Bending painfully over her walker, the old woman had definitely seen better days. Once she sat down next to her (letting out a bedraggled sigh in the process), Morgan tried to look away and think about something else but for some reason her attention remained locked onto the old woman.
After a few moments, the old woman had the feeling she was being started at. Looking around for the first time in, she didn’t know how long, the old lady found her eyes resting on the curious stare of a young woman.
“Well, hello dear. Nice day out, isn’t it?” she remarked politely, her wrinkled lips turning up into a sweet smile. Morgan said, “Yes, I suppose it is. I hadn’t really noticed.” Again, Morgan tried to look away, but there was something about the old woman that was terribly intriguing.
The old lady took out a scarf she was working on and started knitting absentmindedly while humming a soft tune. “What is that you’re humming?” Morgan asked. “Oh it’s just an old diddy from when I was your age,” replied the old woman.
“Tell me, what was it like when you were my age?”
Looking up from her needlework, the old woman was taken aback for a moment. “Hrmm… no one has ever asked me that.” The sights and sounds of the 1940’s paraded through her mind as she was immediately transplanted back in time. It was as if it was all happening right now instead of 60 years ago.
After a while, she turned to the young woman and said, “It’s no different than the way it is now, my dear.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand how that can be.”
The old woman’s wise blue eyes twinkled as she leaned closer to Morgan and whispered, “It’s all just the play of the mind, young lady. Whatever has happened in the past came and went in an instant. Does it really matter now?”
“Why wouldn’t it matter now? The past is the foundation for the present. Everything we do now is because of the past… it’s what has brought us to this point in time,” Morgan stared at the woman in disbelief.
Starting to wonder if maybe all the lights were on but nobody was home, if you know what I mean, the elderly woman sat back for a few moments, enjoying the warm breeze against her cheek. Sensing that the young woman was expecting a response, she finally turned to her and smiled her sweet smile. “That’s the most fatal mistake we humans make. The present is no more held up by the past than the future is held up by the present. The mind is playing tricks on you my dear.” Taking her time, she stood up and left.
Morgan sat on that bench for the rest of the afternoon. She forgot all about why she was waiting for the bus in the first place. Walking home in the dark, she somehow knew it didn’t matter at all.
God Bless You
Fr Eugene Lobo SJ
