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Lucky to Be Alive
Maria，a gentle，soft－spoken woman o f seventy，had always managed to view the world with a child's sense of wonderment．She greeted the dawn of each new day with the brightness of the sun itself and found joy in the smallest of things：a dove perched on her birdfeeder，the fresh morning dew，the sweet scent of jasmine in her garden．
A widow，Maria lived alone in a run－down neighborhood in Deerfield Beach，Florida．One day while out tending the small garden in front of her modest home，Maria had been injured in a drive－by shooting．The bullet had pierced through her skin with a ferocious bite and lodged itself in the old woman's right thigh．Crying out in agony，she had dropped to the sidewalk．When the mailman found her unconscious nearly an hour later，her injured leg had been bleeding profusely．She'd made it to the hospital just in time and later，the doctor had told Maria she was lucky to be alive．
Returning home，Maria didn't feel so lucky．Before the shooting，the elderly woman had always been grateful that she was healthy for her age．Now just getting the daily mail required a Herculean effort．In addition，her medical bills were mounting alarmingly，straining her meager income．And although she had watched the neighborhood deteriorate，somehow things had seemed safe in the daylight－－but not anymore．For the first time in her life，Maria felt frightened，alone and vulnerable．
“I feel defeated，”she had told her friend Vera．“I'm just an old woman with nothing to do and nowhere to go．
”When Vera came to pick up Maria for her checkup at the medical center，she hardly recognized her old friend．Maria' s soft brown eyes held a haunting sadness and her face was gaunt and haggard．All the curtains were drawn and her hands shook with fear as she hobbled out onto the front porch，a cane stabilizing her injured leg．
They were a little early for Maria's appointment，so to try to cheer up Maria，Vera took a longer，more scenic route．They were stopped at a red light when Maria suddenly shrieked．“Look at that cat.It's trying to run across the street。”Vera looked up to see a small black－and－white cat bounding out in to the middle of traffic．Both women screamed as they saw one car，then another，and finally a third，hit the cat．The cat lay motionless，its small body flung onto the grass．Cars slowed，but no one stopped to help．
“We must save that poor creature，”said Maria．Vera pulled over，got out of the car and went to the hurt animal．Miraculously，it was still alive，but badly injured．
“Take my jacket and wrap the kitty in it，”said Maria．Vera carefully put the cat on the seat between them．It looked up at Maria and gave her a plaintive，barely audible meow．
“Everything will be all right，my little friend，”Maria said tearfully．
Finding an animal clinic，they went inside and told the receptionist what had happened．
“I'm sorry，”she said，“but we cannot accept stray animals．”
It was the same at the next clinic．Finally，at the third clinic，a kind veterinarian，Dr．Susan Shanahan，agreed to help and quickly started working on the cat．
“This little guy is lucky to be alive，”she told Maria and Vera．“If you hadn't been there for him，he never would have made it．”
The vet took Maria aside．“The cat's injuries are very serious，”she said．“He has severe head trauma，crushed paws and a cracked collarbone．He'll need a lot of expensive medical attention．Today's bill alone will cost at least ＄400．”
Maria gasped．But taking her worn cloth wallet out of her handbag，she gave the doctor all the money she had after paying her bills－－＄50．
“It' s all I have right now，but I promise I will pay you the rest over time．Please don't put that kitty to sleep.” she pleaded．“I'll take him home．We need each other．”
Sensing how important this was，Dr.Shanahan kneeled and took Maria's hands in hers．“I could get into trouble with my boss for doing this，”she said gently．“You see，I really shouldn't have helped the cat in the first place，but，don't worry．．I will personally pay for this．”
While the cat was at the clinic，Maria went to check on him every day．She spoke softly to him and gently stroked his chin with her little finger．As the days passed，the cat began to purr and the sparkle returned to Maria's eyes．
The day arrived for the cat to come home．As excited as a little girl on Christmas morning，Maria smiled brightly as she walked into the clinic to pick him up． “What have you decided to name the cat?” asked Dr．Shanahan．
Cradling the cat in her arms，Maria answered happily，“I'm going to call him Lucky，because together we have found a new life．”
by christine E. Belleris
