“Madam, why are you cutting in line? We’re all unwell here.”
– “Go ahead, call me granny! I need to get through, and I will!”
The man with a bandaged head just waved her off, “Don’t bother with her! Let her go on. We have no rush.”
– “What do you mean, no rush? We all have things to do!” The line expressed its indignation as best it could.
A gray-haired old man tapped the cheeky woman on the shoulder with his cane. Who knows how the argument would have ended, but the door opened and a charming nurse said sweetly, “Mary Johnson, please come in!” The cheeky woman waved at the queue with manicured fingers and disappeared through the door.
– “Hello, doctor! So, what’s the good news? I hope the scan convinced you I’m not ill?”
The doctor spent a long time sorting papers into folders, clearly unsure how to begin the conversation.
Finally, he pointed to a chair, “Please, sit down. Believe me, it’s hard for me to deliver such news. But your condition is quite advanced. If only we had caught it sooner… Sarah, could you get the patient some water?” He started rearranging his folders again. “Yes, sometimes… I myself didn’t expect this—it’s an inoperable tumor, stage four.”
The woman who was so lively a moment ago seemed to be an entirely different person.
– “Doctor, how is this possible? Just like that?! I’m only 39! I’ve never even been married. I studied and then worked on my career. What about surgery? Some kind of treatment? I know cancer is successfully treated now. Right, doctor? Surgery? You treat others! I’ll pay whatever it takes. Or I’ll go to Europe for treatment. Why are you silent?!!”
– “My dear, I’d like to give you hope. But in this state, everything is pointless. It’s not just the scans. There are MRIs, ultrasounds, blood tests—all considered together. I’ve been a doctor for over 30 years. It’s hopeless. If you like, I can refer you to a hospice. You may need this given you have no family, and it’s spreading rapidly through your body. Soon you won’t be able to care for yourself. Wait! Where are you going? I’ll write a referral.”
But Mary stepped into the corridor with unsteady legs. The once-aggressive group in line rushed to help her.
– “Is it really that bad? You look pale! Here, take some medicine! Give the lady some space, she’s not well!” An older woman gently touched her hand and said, “Dear, go to the church, talk to the vicar, and see what happens.”
Mary thanked everyone, left her “Ford” in the oncology clinic’s parking lot, and took a bus home. There, she set the kettle on, made herself a cup of tea, and turned on the TV. The screen showed a little boy with leukemia, and an organization was raising money for an operation in America. The boy’s mother clasped her hands and pleaded, “You’re our only hope, dear people, he’s my only child, and he just wants to live! We’ve raised most of the money, but we still need more.” Mary looked into the boy’s large, pleading eyes as if they were saying, “Aunt, I rely on you!” and used her phone to transfer the missing amount. Only afterward did she curl up on the couch and cry as she never had before.
– “Oh God, help me!” She realized she didn’t know any prayers or even how to seek God’s help.
* * *
Mary Johnson hadn’t stepped out of the elevator, yet the office was already bustling with whispers, “The Dragon is coming!” — and everyone scurried to their desks. The secretary couldn’t resist a sarcastic comment when she saw her stern boss:
– “A new dress code, Miss Johnson?”
– “Oh, you’re so cheeky, Ann! How come I haven’t fired you yet?”
– “Who else could handle your temperament but me? I’ve got nerves of steel. But seriously, what’s with the outfit today? A long skirt, a headscarf—if I’d seen you on the street, I wouldn’t have recognized you!”
– “Ann, enough with the chatter. Sit down and type a memo, I’ll dictate it now. I dressed like this because I stopped by the church this morning.”
– “You? At church?! Someone passed away?”
Mary Johnson turned pale, “No, not yet. Everyone’s alive for now. Sit down and type the memo. I need two months’ leave. And don’t ask questions! Your gossiping knows no bounds! Also, call David Brown, he’ll stand in for me. Prepare a memo for him too: ‘Acting as company director… and so on.’ I trust him as much as I do myself.”
While Mary Johnson made her way to the parking lot, the office was abuzz: “Did you hear? The Dragon is taking two months off! Never missed a weekend at the office and never let us rest, and now suddenly two whole months!” David Brown quieted them down: “Back to work, everyone! You think just because the director’s on leave we don’t have to work?” And the office settled into a hush, broken only by the clatter of keyboards and soft phone calls: “Have you heard?…”
* * *
When the pilgrimage bus approached Trinity Hall, Mary’s heart raced like a trapped bird! She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the gleaming church spires. “How beautiful! What have I been doing with my time? Wasting it all…” The pilgrims busied themselves.
“Be sure to visit the relics!”
– “No, follow the tour guide, or you’ll get lost, and someone will have to round you up!”
– “I’ve come to see the pastor… the elder… I’m not sure what to call him. I hardly understand what an elder is.”
One pilgrim explained: “An elder is a monk who has achieved purity of heart, and thus can reveal God’s will for a person.”
– “Ah, dear, to hear that will you’ll have to stand in line for three days, so best stay with us, and then find accommodation. Where will you stay overnight?”
Their guide continued, “This chapel is called the Refectory, look at how beautiful it is! Be sure not to use your camera, photographs are only allowed outside.”
– “I’d like to see the elder…” Mary gingerly added.
– “What to do with you? Come on, we’ll take her to visit this restless soul, she won’t give us any peace otherwise. Over there’s St. John’s Chapel, get in line there. And over there’s another line, that’s for holy water.”
The pilgrims separated—some urgently needed the holy water, while others went to venerate the relics of St. Patrick.
Mary found that she’d need to wait for two or even three days. The most proactive pilgrims took down names for places to stay in private homes. Soon Mary caught up with her fellow pilgrims. A woman she had become friends with on the way showed interest:
– “Are you here for exorcism?”
– “No, I have a different issue.”
– “I heard most come to him for exorcism. I wanted to ask, have you been to other holy places before, or is this your first pilgrimage?”
– “I’ve been,” Mary sighed. “I visited lots of churches in London, went to Lindisfarne. But my first trip was to Birmingham, to see the royal martyrs and then Simeon the New Theologian. I’ve been on the road for almost two months. I’ve seen a lot, learned some things, thank God! Before, I didn’t even know the Lord’s Prayer. I’ve met so many kind people on this journey.”
– “Sounds like you’re going through a serious ordeal.”
– “Let’s go. I want to venerate the relics! I bought a booklet in London and read all about the Hall. St. Patrick’s relics rest in the southern part of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, in a specially made shrine, and are the main relic of the church and the whole Trinity Hall. Come on, speed up, we can see our group there.”
Having finished visiting the holy places, Mary returned to her queue. Someone managed to find her a room nearby…
* * *
The moon’s silver crescent edged the horizon while Mary and her new friend continued talking into the night. The unstoppable Judy listed countless relatives. Mary began to doze off, only to be jostled awake again by Judy.
– “You know, I keep thinking: you may not have close family, but you should start your own, have kids—you’re nearly forty! As our pastor says, ‘a dried herbarium.’ Surely there’s someone who makes your heart skip a beat?”
– “I’ve thought about it, and there is a man I quite like. But he’s very shy. I see him watching me closely, yet he can’t bring himself to confess. He’s my deputy.”
– “Then confess to him yourself! It’s allowed, you know.”
– “Dear Judy, family life isn’t for me. I should have thought of it sooner. Maybe then…”
– “Why did you stop? What might have happened?”
– “Never mind, let’s get some sleep! We’ve talked all night. A family isn’t in my cards, ever. I have cancer. The doctor said I had six months at best, and two have already passed.”
– “Oh my dear, what a terrible thing! While I’ve been prattling on… Good Lord, please help this lovely lady!” Mary couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. After visiting those holy places, she felt with all her heart, skin, her very being, how wonderful it is to be alive, to know God loves you, loves you just as you are, to talk with kind people… Ah! All I cared about was study, career! Go forward, forward! I missed it all! Damn that career! What have I of it? My own employees fear me like fire, and among them might be kind souls like Judy. And they call me the Dragon behind my back! That’s what I’ll take with me to God! Lord, forgive me, forgive me!”
Judy managed to comfort her eventually.
In the morning, Judy whispered with some people waiting, and they let Mary through to see the elder without waiting in line. She entered his chamber bashfully, asking for his blessing.
– “I bless you on your journey, my dear! They’re eagerly waiting for you.”
– “What about my health? Is there anything else that can be done, Father?”
– “I’m no magician or wizard. I’ll pray for you. God has given you a trial—carry your cross with dignity. Look at you—your soul’s been healed! Go with God! Remember—they’re waiting! And you haven’t even left an address or phone number.”
– “How do you know?”— then she blushed. “Forgive me, Father!”
The elder smiled gently, “Well, if I didn’t even know that, why would people queue up to see me?”
* * *
Strangely, there was no line at the oncologist’s this time. Mary’s heart was pounding so heavily that she pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm down.
The gray-haired doctor greeted her, “Why did you leave without giving us your address?”
– “My home isn’t tied to an address…”
– “You’re joking, but we raised the whole town: the police, hospitals, morgues! Forgive my error in your diagnosis! Two files were lying side by side: Mary Johnson and Mary Smith. You don’t have cancer! You’re healthy! Do you understand? Healthy! Calm down, these things happen. You have every right to sue me. Lord, why are you crying so much?!”
– “Doctor, but the other Mary, Mary Smith…”
– “Oh, I see… You’re worried about that. She passed away two weeks ago. She didn’t suffer, died in her sleep. But you, my dear, you’re completely cured! Like a different person. You could even say you’ve recovered!”
