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We knocked on the door. Dogs barked. We stood waiting. The dogs stopped. Jen texted Henry to let him know we were at his door. A minute later his girlfriend opened the door. It was our first time to meet. We walked in.
Henry was in an explosion last week. He experienced burns that will take a while to heal. He was in the hospital for a couple of days. He got home today. A friend of ours called to let us know what happened.
We picked some things up for Henry. We forgot to pick up a card. I arrived with a plastic Target bag in my hand. A bottle of Menage a Trois wine and a box of Maderma scar treatment in the bag.
We introduced ourselves to Henry’s girlfriend. Henry’s mom was sacked out on the couch. We could tell it had been a long few days. I put the wine in the refrigerator. We sat down and chatted for a few minutes. It was awkward. I wrote a quick note on the Maderma box in place of a card. We said goodbye and let them back to resting.
Part of me kicks myself in the ass for being tacky – plastic bag, cheap wine and scar creme, no card. The other part of me thinks of how I often I do nothing when something happens to a friend. I think of them for a moment with deep sympathy. I don’t take action. I move on with my life. I tell them emptily how I was thinking of them once they return to the sphere of my life.
I’m learning that I’d rather do something than nothing. I might not always hit the target. But at least I took the shot.
