I’ve always believed that we have angels watching over us. Those we have loved and lost, who somehow still find ways to let us know they’re nearby. Over the years, I’ve come to believe something else. Sometimes those angels send complete strangers into our lives at the exact moment we need them most.
Lately, I’ve had more than a few experiences that have strengthened that belief. Life here in paradise has been anything but peaceful, and just when I thought things couldn’t get more complicated, something unexpected would happen. Someone would appear, seemingly out of nowhere, and remind me that kindness is alive and well in this world.
And believe me, I have a story to tell.
Last Friday started like any other. I did everything I needed to do before heading down to Palmira to drop my dog, Kira, off at the veterinarian’s for a small surgery. I had a plan, as always, and I intended to follow it.
Kira jumped into Dorothy, ready for a ride and filled with excitement. I was right on schedule when I dropped her off for her surgery. Afterward, I stopped for a small breakfast and entered the address of the church I was going to next into Google Maps. My friend’s mother had passed away at the remarkable age of 105, and I wanted to attend her funeral Mass.
I double- and triple-checked the address. It was correct. However, Google Maps sent me in the wrong direction, and that was the beginning of my day from hell.
I ended up near the toll booth that would take me to Cali. I spotted a sign pointing back toward Palmira and followed it, only to find myself somewhere with one road leading to a dirt path and another leading toward some men doing survey work.
By now, I knew I wouldn’t make the funeral.
I pulled up beside the men and explained that I was lost. They directed me up a ramp that would take me back toward Palmira. I was on an expressway, but somehow managed to miss the exit I needed. Again!
I kept driving until I spotted another sign pointing toward Palmira. I exited, feeling relieved.
Not so fast.
Little did I know I had ended up in a small pueblo that wasn’t Palmira, and I had absolutely no idea how to get back.
By now, my hands were shaking, and I was getting worried.
I entered Palmira into Google Maps, and it proceeded to take me around and around in circles. Then I noticed something even more alarming. My clutch wasn’t working properly.
Now I was really freaking out!
During one of my endless circles on a lonely road, I spotted a taxi sitting nearby. I pulled over, close to tears, and explained my predicament to the driver.
He would become my first angel of the day.
Without hesitation, he got out of his taxi, entered his phone number into my phone, and had me call him. Then he told me to place the phone on my dashboard.
“Follow me,” he said.
And just like that, this complete stranger became my guide.
He led me toward Palmira, speaking to me in soothing tones the entire way. If I got stuck at a traffic light, he would pull over and wait for me. He never once left me behind.
Meanwhile, Dorothy was acting up, and I knew something was seriously wrong. I silently prayed that I could make it to a parking lot before she gave up on me completely.
Finally, the taxi driver pulled over, motioned for me to continue, and pointed ahead.
I was in Palmira!
I went through the traffic light, and suddenly I noticed smoke coming from beneath the hood.
Oh, no!
There was no time to find a parking lot. I pulled up onto a sidewalk and immediately turned off the engine.
My second angel appeared almost the moment I stepped out of the car.
In Colombia, certain areas have designated motorcycle parking, where an attendant watches over the motorcycles and places pieces of cardboard on their seats to protect them from the hot sun.
I had stopped directly across from one of these parking areas.
The attendant saw what was happening and came rushing over with a bucket of water. He helped me lift the hood and poured water where the steam was rising.
“It’s your clutch!” he announced.
He retrieved my emergency warning triangle from the trunk and positioned it so Dorothy could safely remain on the sidewalk. Traffic police are everywhere, and he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t receive a ticket while dealing with my car troubles.
Then we called my mechanic, whom I had recently visited for an oil change.
While we waited for him, the attendant invited me to sit at some outdoor tables belonging to a little bar and restaurant nearby.
My mechanic is a man about my age, good-looking, and very nice. I was incredibly relieved when he agreed to come rescue Dorothy.
But in the back of my mind, another problem was brewing.
What was I going to do about Kira?
She was at the veterinarian’s office and would probably be ready to come home soon. I also needed to pick up her medications from a pet pharmacy in Palmira.
The motorcycle attendant was still nearby, so I asked if I could give him a list of her medications and whether he might be willing to pick them up for me.
“¡Claro que sí!”
He hopped onto his bicycle and went off to get them.
Meanwhile, my mechanic arrived. Dorothy had cooled down enough to be driven, so he took her back to his shop.
“Come get her in a couple of hours,” he told me.
I gave him the biggest, warmest hug. I don’t think he realized how much relief I felt at that moment.
My shaking hands had finally settled, and the terrible stress of the morning was beginning to dissolve.
The motorcycle attendant returned with Kira’s medications, and I gave him a generous tip for everything he had done.
Before he left for his lunch break, we agreed that we were now friends and that I would honk whenever I passed by.
Another friendship made in the middle of complete chaos!
My third angel of the day now had Dorothy, and I knew she was in good hands.
But I still had to figure out how to retrieve Kira.
I was sitting at the little outdoor bar, trying to figure out my next move, when I did something I can hardly believe I’m admitting.
I walked up to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila!
Yes, tequila!
I wasn’t driving anywhere, and believe me, after the morning I’d had, that little shot took away the last of my nerves.
I chatted with the waitress, who had kindly given me a table when my car broke down, and naturally, I made another friend.
I cannot express enough to everyone who reads my blog just how lovely the Colombian people are.
They go out of their way to help. It has been my experience time and time again during the years I’ve lived here. They don’t simply look the other way when someone is struggling.
Just look at what had happened that morning.
A taxi driver had guided a frightened, lost woman back to Palmira.
A motorcycle parking attendant had rushed to help when her car began smoking, then hopped on his bicycle to pick up medication for her dog.
And a mechanic had interrupted his lunch hour to rescue her car.
All complete strangers, or people I barely knew, who had gone out of their way to help me.
Angels. Every one of them.
When my morning began unraveling, I was anxious, frightened, and close to tears. Yet here I was at lunchtime, feeling happy again.
I knew everything was going to work out.
Of course, there were still a few little details to take care of.
Mainly Kira.
And anyone who knows Kira knows she is NOT a small dog!
I ordered some lunch, and just as I was beginning to relax, my WhatsApp buzzed.
It was the receptionist at the veterinarian’s office.
“We need you to come get Kira now. She won’t stop crying!”
Oh, good grief!
I can only imagine how much she was disturbing the other patients.
I found a taxi and headed straight over. I could hear Kira howling from the street before I even entered the building.
That is how loud she was!
The moment she spotted me from her kennel, she stopped.
Just like that.
Talk about spoiled!
I have no words to describe the howling that had been coming from her. Every other animal in the kennels was quiet.
Except Kira, of course.
The doctor came over to chat with me while Kira stood sweetly by my side, behaving like the perfect little angel she suddenly remembered how to be.
The staff helped me find an Uber driver willing to take a large dog, and off we went to retrieve Dorothy.
Now picture this.
I was wearing a dress, carrying a bag of food to go, another shopping bag with a few things I’d picked up, and trying to manage one very large dog.
It was a comedy, actually.
Somehow, I managed to get across a small street, where my mechanic, Luis, was waiting to grab Kira’s leash and help me.
We walked over to Dorothy, and Kira couldn’t jump inside fast enough. She settled onto her blankets, finally happy to be back in familiar surroundings.
Luis explained a few things about Dorothy, who, quite frankly, wasn’t my favorite car anymore.
It turns out I haven’t been treating her gently enough.
My old truck was a workhorse. Dorothy, on the other hand, is apparently a delicate little lady.
Luis explained that I needed to be much gentler with her and gave me some firm instructions on how to drive her properly.
He had repaired the clutch, and Dorothy was ready to go.
I thanked him and asked, “Will you keep an eye on Kira while I go pay?”
He looked at me and said there was no need to pay.
He had done it for me without charge.
And then he added something that made me smile.
“Con mucho amor.”
With much love.
After everything that had happened that day, I could hardly believe it.
One of my angels had just left me feeling very appreciated.
And who knows? Maybe this is the beginning of something interesting!
I gave Luis my card, and later that evening, he sent me a WhatsApp message to make sure Dorothy and I had made it home safely.
Maybe angels don’t always have wings. Sometimes they drive taxis, ride bicycles, or show up in a mechanic’s uniform.
As they say in books…
To be continued. ❤️
