Today is Sunday, and I didn’t go to Mass (church). I am glad I didn’t. The service would have been in Spanish, and while I can usually follow along and know what part of the Mass it is since the Catholic Mass is similar world-wide with the exception of the language spoken and subtle distinctions of the local culture, GOD had a different service that I was to attend, today.
Andrés had missed three calls from Mr. Maravilla before answering the fourth call. Mr. Maravilla was calling to inform Andrés that the public hospital had released him, and he needed someone to pick him up so he wouldn’t have to stay in the parking lot.
Pedro and I helped him through the back door of St. Joseph Church and up a set of cement stairs that were quite difficult for him to maneuver even with our assistance. He pointed us in the direction of the area that Fr. Candito had allowed him to reside the past two weeks as he was seeking help. He was assigned a plastic covered mattress on the bottom of an old metal bunk bed in an area of the church that had been abandoned for the last three years. Of course, it was dirty, dingy and neglected; eerily mirroring the image of its new inhabitant. Pedro and I helped position him on his bottom bunk after turning his tattered mattress over to the unsoiled side.
Andrés procured some water and food to sustain Mr. Maravilla until tomorrow, when we will take him to Dr. Urrutia, a private doctor who has performed miracle-like treatments for us. He will make his own assessment and let us know if he has a treatment that would benefit Mr. Maravilla.
I pulled up my pant legs and shared with him the scars that I have on both legs in similar locations as his due to recurring and severe psoriasis; hoping that would give us some connection of understanding. He nodded with a look that acknowledged where some of my sympathy came from.
I asked him if he had any other clothes, and he pointed to a shirt and a pair of long pants on the floor next to the corner of the bed. He said that he only wears the pair of shorts that he had on, because the long pants stick to his legs and cause excruciating pain when removing them. Of course, bathing creates another hardship as he explained that he needs to keep his bandages dry and free from the bacteria laced water. He sarcastically stated that he doesn’t have to worry about that too often, because most people won’t let him in, let alone use their facilities on account of the appearance of his condition.
When asked what other resources he might have, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins worth the total sum of 95 cents. Without anyone asking, he shared that he had just recently acquired this money from a gentleman who befriended him during his short stay in the hospital. This kind roommate noticed that Mr. Maravilla did not have the means to purchase the simplest of necessities.
When I quizzed him if that was all that he had, he declared, “I HAVE JESUS.”
