Belinda’s knees ached as she walked toward the office

She slid on the ice

Thinking it couldn’t get worse than this

Her hips waddled as her feet lost their grip

She reached out for something but nothing was there

So she slipped

Of course she landed on her bad knee

Aretha walked up and said to her, “Ma’am let me – let me help you”

Aretha’s upper lip puckered

And she stuttered

Her hands shook but she reached them out

She weighed about 100 pounds

But she stood firm and helped Belinda up

“Guess it’s good there’s this doctor’s office we found,” she said

They both walked into the doctor’s office

Aretha trembling, Belinda hobbling

Dr. Reed saw Belinda

And said, “You have terrible arthritis and a Baker’s cyst,”

She gave her a steroid shot in the knee and said, “This should help ya.”

Belinda then started to cry – but not because of the shot

She told Dr. Reed, “I lost my daughter last week and she was all I’d got.

This is the first time I’ve been out of my house – my knees hurt so bad.”

Dr. Reed said, “I know this is terribly sad but you have to keep moving

It’ll help your heart and knees

It was something Belinda believed

Dr. Reed then saw Aretha in the next room

Aretha told her, “Doc, this, this life aint no honey, no honeymoon

My son’s gone crazy and he hit me last week

I kicked him out and now I, I can’t, can’t sleep

I’m scared, always looking over my back,”

Dr. Reed gave her some pills so she could relax

“You have to keep moving,” she told Aretha

Aretha left the doctor’s office

She was going to go to her second job

Decided first to go for a jog

It eased her nerves

The road was quiet, but there was a sound she heard

Pitter patter of other feet

Suddenly an outstretched arm dangling from somewhere in the street

A tense fist coming at her eye

Then a silver stick flying high

The stick meeting the assailant’s face

He was knocked out on the ground

In a scooter, on the other end of her metal cane

Was Belinda

Aretha didn’t know her name

“Returning the help, sister!” she yelled

“Dr. Reed said we must keep moving

Thanks for helping me up when I fell!”

Belinda stood up and walked

Aretha was shaken

The cops arrived and settled the scene

Belinda and Aretha talked

Belinda told her, “I lost my daughter, you lost your son,

But we gotta keep going, gotta help someone

Don’t turn to the drink, that’s how I lost my girl

You call me,” as she handed Aretha her number

Aretha thanked her – for being like a mother

In the following weeks Aretha could talk to Belinda

She healed, got through her anxiety

Was able to work as a caregiver

Was able to sleep, no longer shivered

Belinda and Aretha walked together

Belinda lost some weight and her knees felt better

Her heart healed too from listening and talking with Aretha

Dr. Reed looked out the office window and saw those two walking

Glad to be in the business of renewing

Glad to see two of her patients moving