The Invisible Neighbor
by Wendy LeGate

Betty chuckled with wisdom and squeezed my hands together in comfort.  Like gently pushing a child onto the first school bus, she would not take back the watch.  With the confidence of a great teacher...she did not ask me to take it, but rather, firmly instructed me to.  Betty had lots of gold watches - in fact, she had more jewelry than anyone I had ever known to have.  She went on to tell me that this particular watch was the way it was (broken safety chain and in need of a battery), because she had liked it so much.  She wore it and that was why she wanted to give it to me.   Much of what Betty had didn't mean all that much to her.  Only a few things held a special place in her heart.  She wanted me to have one of the things she attached some personal value to.  I was deeply touched.

I had that watch repaired and polished and a new battery was put in it.  As soon as I got it back, I put it on and went right over to Betty's house for a visit.   Betty was alone watching the shopping channel.  I showed her the repaired safety chain and had her look at how the gold shined on my wrist.  I did some display poses - as if, I was modeling the watch.  I did my best Vanna White impersonation and she laughed so hard she nearly fell off her hospital bed!  I told her I would treasure her gift to me always and I hugged her closer and longer than normal.  I gave her a kiss and touched my cheek to hers, as I whispered in her ear, "I love you and I will come tomorrow for another visit."

We had more visits, but at each arrival, I would find her markedly more frail and weak.   Her breathing was labored and she was suffering.  There was nothing the doctors could do.  She didn't have to tell me...I knew it.  Betty somehow made it through her birthday party - just on the fumes of life.  I only saw Betty alive one more time, before she passed.  She told me not to come back.  She didn't have long and she wanted me to remember her laughing and joking.  She said, "If you love me...you will not come back anymore."

I respected her wishes and never returned.  She died shortly afterwards, early in the morning, of September 1, 2005.  She had her caretaker, companion and friend - Roseanne, at her side.

I learned an important lesson from Ms. Betty French...being a good neighbor means taking the time to knock on a door and see who lives on the other side of it.  I was lucky and honored to know Betty for almost two years, before she passed away.  I am a better person for it.  I wish I would have knocked on that door sooner.

I wear that gold watch and when I check the time...I do, indeed, think of Betty.   I thank her from the bottom of my heart for showing me that compassion and a little bit of love does make a difference in the world.