lonely old lady

just this evening tony and i were having dinner at a little whole in the wall chinese dinner place near our house. we ordered my usual chicken chow main and t had teriyaki chicken dinner. we found our table and sat and watched the breaking news of the troubled plane in long beach heading to lax for landing. i read my crate and barrel mag while t went on and on about i don't know what? i then noticed an old black lady in her 50's wearing jeans, tshirt, jean long sleeve, backward baseball cap and tennis shoes. she did seem a little out of place. she seemed as she were lost or could just not figure out what it was that she was reading on the menu. i then look at my hubbie and say, "don't you think that lady looks lost? - i wonder if she needs money?" he says, i don't know...why don't you just give her some? i hesitate. what if she didn't? i would be insulting her. she walks out. walks back in and continues to stare at the menu. she asks a man sitting eating his dinner if he was eating a chicken bowl. she repeateed it three times and i repeated it along with her wanting to shout it. the man must have not spoken english or just acted that way. the lady at the counter tells her how much the small bows costs. $3.59. the lady asks if she's has a smaller size. NO. she walks out. i freeze while my stomach is turning and my eyes are tearing up because i feel so bad for her. i continue to sit there frozen in time wondering where she is going. is she going to take the bus? is she asking for money? then i recall that she never asked anyone for money. i turn to my hubbie once more and say, take her some money. she needs money. he says, you go. GO! so i get up. i call her. i ask her if she is hungry. she says yes. she is rambling...i can't understand her. i ask her if she wants a chicken bowl. she says yes. she is saying something about a kid, but i don't understand one word. i order her dinner and the lady at the counter is looking at me with a confused look. almost as if she has never done a deed for anyone. the man sitting there just stares at me. i almost thought i had something in my teeth. i pay. $3.59. she wants to take it with her. while she sits she is talking to t and i. we don't understand. we say you're welcome. food's ready. she takes her food and walks away thanking us.

i am so glad that we were able to help this lady today. it made me feel really good to give to an aboslute stranger in need.