Volume
15, Number 85, June/July 2012 Do Angels Make Pickles? by Bonnie Jarvis-Lowe
When my daughter was beginning
her second year at St. Mary’s
University in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
she moved from residence life to her
own apartment, sharing it with a
friend. We had found the perfect
apartment building, close to campus,
and very cosy and attractive. It was
located at the end of a street that was
lined with huge oak and elm trees,
making it a pleasure to walk to class.
She loved it.
Her parents’ concerns were of no
consequence as we asked her about
coming home from class after dark,
walking down that very beautiful tree
lined road was a different story when
darkness fell. Anyone could hide
behind the very trees and shrubs that
were so beautiful in sunlight, but an
excellent hiding place for anyone who
wanted to pounce and assault the
unsuspecting walkers. We were
assured that all would be OK, because
St. Mary’s University has what is
called the ‘Husky Patrol’. This is a
program that the popular St. Mary’s
Huskies football team members and
other students had developed. They
worked in teams of two, a football
player, or senior athlete, and a senior
female student would make up each
team. The ‘Husky Patrol’ would walk
with the student if they lived off
campus and had to return home after
dark. It is a terrific program and
worked well for the off campus
students who needed the service.
Heather assured us she would use the
Husky Patrol when necessary.
However, one evening it was not quite
dark when she headed for her
apartment building with her backpack
and books, feeling quite sure she
would be safely in her building before
it was really night. But it was late
October, and evening came quickly.
She soon found herself on the dark
street, alone and scared. Halloweendecorations were everywhere and in
looking at them she had wasted
precious moments of daylight.
Then she had a feeling of being
watched, she would turn to look, and
all she would see would be a shrub or
tree limb moving. When she picked up
her pace the watching eyes, now
accompanied by the sound of shoes on
the dry autumn leaves, would pick up
and move faster as well. Consequently
she regretted leaving campus alone.
She knew she was being followed and
became terrified.
Heather, right from a very young age,
was a problem solver. She never failed
to come up with a solution to
problems and obstacles that she and
her friends would encounter. And she
did not fail now. She knew she had to
seek shelter, and get off this street as
soon as she could. Assessing the
situation, her heart pounding, and her
knees weak, she noticed a small,
cottage style house just a few doors up
from her location. An inviting
overhead light was on over the quaint
entryway. She moved quickly toward
the tiny house, still hearing the
footsteps behind her. Mustering all the
strength her athletic soccer-playing
legs could conjure up, she walked
smartly up to the house, turned the
doorknob and found it was not locked.
She opened the door and walked in,
closing it behind her. Near tears by
now she leaned back against the door.
From her vantage point she could see
three very ‘grand-motherly’ looking
ladies in a small kitchen, each one
very intent on her task. And that task
was making pickles. The smell of
vinegar and dill, the warmth of the
little house and the reassuring
presence of the ladies, calmed the
upset young student.
“What can we do for you dear?” one
of the women approached and asked.
The lady was not at all surprised or
perturbed at having somebody just
walk in the house. Soon the three
ladies had her sitting in the kitchen,
and she told her story of being
followed, her scare, and her need to
find help. They listened to her story
with rapt attention. Then they offered
her a hot chocolate, and continued to
reassure her that she was safe now
with them and they would take her
home.
When the pickles were all done, one
of the women took her by the hand
and led her outside to a late model car.
She kept reassuring the frightened
young woman, and drove her safely
the rest of the way to her apartment
tower. Heather was very grateful and
said so many ‘thank yous’ that the
adorable, elderly lady said she must be
‘thanked out by now!’ And they
shared a laugh. The once terrified
student left the car, and waved to her
chauffeur as she reached the inside of
her building. The lovely shiny car then
drove slowly away.
The weekend arrived and Heather
came home for Halloween. Of course
she never told us the story until she
was good and ready, but she did tell
us. She knew the lecture she would get
about not staying true to her word and
using the ‘Husky Patrol’. After that
was dealt with, she decided she would
buy a gift box of the famous
Annapolis Valley apples for her
rescuers. These boxes are beautifully
presented, each apple with its
colourful paper nest in a box of fortyeight
small cubicles. She attached a
bow and a thank you note and took it
with her when she returned to Halifax
and her classes on Monday.
But the strangest thing happened. She
located the quaint cottage house, but
no car was in the driveway. As a
matter of fact, what she thought was a
driveway was just a little path leading
to the front door. Several times she
took the box to the house, but could
never locate the endearing ‘lady
picklers’. Finally she left her gift on
the step, hoping they would find it.
She would talk to them when she
could.
My daughter went on to graduate from
St. Mary’s University. She never did
find the kind ladies, never knew their
names, and there was never a new car
at the tiny house. She could only hope
they had found her gift. During a
discussion with another student one
day she was bemoaning the fact that
she never got to say ‘thank you’ in
person to her kind helpers. The other
student remarked that she had never
seen anybody in or around that house,
and she had lived on that street for five
years. Needless to say we were all
dumbfounded by that disclosure.
So, we have come to believe that she
found angels that night. Angels who
wrapped her in comfort, soothed her
fears, and took her safely home. As for
Heather, and me, her mother, we will
remain convinced, always, that
ANGELS DO MAKE PICKLES!