He was rubbing his friend's back. His friend was hunched over, head on knees. Sorrow or pain held in t-shirts and jeans. The truck was pulled over, hazard lights flashing. The door was still open. They were taking a moment. Rejoice! They were taking a moment! There, on a sunny, breezy San Diego day, sitting in the weeds on the side of a main road on the Marine Corps Base. They needed a minute, or few.
As a passerby I can’t know their story. I couldn’t even tell the gender of the person doubled over. Was she a young wife with morning sickness? Were they two friends who had just lost a buddy in the violence of war? Was she just exhausted with the tensions, unknowns, and weight of having to hold their world together while he was gone? Were they a couple working things out after a long deployment?
Sizing up the situation as I drove up, I quickly decided that the hurting person had help. Nothing I had to offer was needed. A couple of friends, on a busy military base, just needed to stop the world, get out of the car, and take a moment. I hope I see more of that.
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