Lost, But Not Alone

Using the public transportation system in Dallas is not particularly difficult. When one rides the bus, the system is planned to let people off at various stops along the route to their intended destination.  When, however, a visually impaired person uses a cab to travel about, he or she may find that said destination may not always be exactly where it should be.  Fortunately, the following story isn’t typical for me.

Several years ago, I worked at a Specialty Acute Care Hospital in West Dallas , which was not far from the Medical School .  My usual ride to and from was with a friend who worked at a major corporation about a mile past the hospital.  Riding with him made things a lot easier since he could deliver me right to the door that I needed to enter.  But from time to time, he was traveling out of the country, so I had to make other arrangements for my ride. 

This wasn’t particularly a problem. Dallas had a special service for the disabled where a van would pick me up at my home and take me to my place of employment.  For some reason, however, when I called two days prior to secure a ride, they told me that I’d have to use a local cab service for my ride that day.  Since the charge was the same, it mattered little to me how I got to work.  Scheduling the cab ride was easy, quick, and sure, so any fears of something going wrong were allayed. 

On the fateful day of the cab ride, I waited outside my home on the sidewalk.  A car pulled up in minutes, the cab driver got out and introduced himself, and let me into the back seat where I prepared for the twenty five minute ride.  I gave him my voucher that said I was disabled, visually impaired, that is. He asked me what address I needed to go to.  After telling him, we took off quickly, launching ourselves into the early morning traffic. 

In ten minutes or so, he said, “So where do you need to go?” 

Again, I told him the address, the name of the building, and to which side of the building he should deliver me.  He said he understood, so I relaxed and let my mind wonder about that day’s responsibilities.  Some fifteen minutes later, he asked again for the address, which made me wonder if he was lost or simply didn’t know how to get there. 

Checking my Braille watch, it seemed like we should be at least on the boulevard where my hospital stood.  Then after about twenty minutes, I felt the car turn to the right, a movement that didn’t feel right. My place of work was on the left-hand side of the road.  Thinking he knew what he was doing (most cab drivers seem know how to get everywhere), I ignored the turn.  We must have driven through a large parking lot, which was also another red flag that I should have recognized. Then the car stopped fairly suddenly. 

The cab driver said, “Alright!  Here yaw are, sir!” 

Opening the door, I heard him say, “Just walk straight and you’ll be at the front double doors.” 

When I slammed the car door shut, he sped away leaving me to my own abilities to walk straight.  I say “walk straight”, for they were his words. But doing that in a parking lot where one can’t see, much less follow a grass line or sidewalk, became quite a challenge for these blind eyes.  Nevertheless, I somehow managed to find a walkway and some grass to my right. 

Tapping cautiously, sidewalk, grass, sidewalk, grass, sidewalk, grass, I moved quickly toward the entrance.  At what I deemed to be five feet away, I heard an unfamiliar sound of two electric doors sliding open in front of me.  The sound threw me for a loop since the building I was supposed to be entering didn’t have any electric doors at any of the entrances. 

Stopping and staring blindly ahead, I said aloud, “Oh great!  I’m totally lost!” 

Entering the building, I found myself standing inside a small lobby area, or at least it sounded that way.  When I called out to see if anyone were nearby such as a security guard or receptionist, I only heard the sound of my voice.  Now you need to understand that when a blind person finds himself in such a situation, the thing not to do is panic.  Usually, if one waits long enough, he or she will often encounter another individual to help. 

But after ten minutes or so, I realized that nobody was there to help me in my plight.  I wasn’t even sure I was in the correct building or on the correct street for that matter. Since cell phones were uncommon at that time, I had no way to call for help, either. It probably wouldn’t have mattered since I didn’t know how to describe where I was.  I was lost and I knew it. Naturally, I resorted to calling upon my heavenly Father who knows my path and watches over me wherever I go. 

“Father, please help me.  Please send me someone to help me.  I’m lost and need your guidance,” I prayed in my heart. 

Only moments later, the sound of those electric doors rang once again in my hearing.  The foot steps were of the female persuasion, high heels, I think. I turned to face the direction of the sound source. 

“Good morning, sir!” the lady said in a friendly tone.  “You look lost, may I help you?” 

Relieved at her question, I said, “Yes, my cab driver let me out here, but I’m supposed to be at the Specialty Acute Hospital on the south side of this street.” 

“Oh my heavens’!” she exclaimed.  “You’re about a half mile off course and on the wrong side of the street.” 

Since she didn’t have to report for work for another thirty minutes, she told me she’d take me to the place where I needed to be.  Normally, I wouldn’t take such an offer, but I had prayed, God had answered, and after all, her kindness was overwhelming to my helpless soul. 

While in route to my building, I asked her where the cab driver had dumped me.  She informed me that I was standing in the lobby of Southwestern Medical School .  She laughed when I told her that it has always been my desire to go to medical school, in hopes that someday I might be the only blind doctor in the world.  When I told her that it could happen, seeing that becoming a cab driver was definitely out of the question, she roared with a hilarious cackle that set the mood for both of our day’s work. 

Eventually, she delivered me to the correct doors on the West side of the correct building.  I thanked her and attempted to give her a couple of bucks for a tip.  But she pushed it away telling me that it made her day to give help to someone in need.  Ironically, I never thought to ask her for her name, nor what she did at the medical school.  To this day, as I think about this story, I usually pray for her. God knows who she is and He will bless her for her act of kindness.