Sacrifice

All these awesome stories reminds me of the lady who really sacrificed for her “pets.” I was fresh out of medical school and in my first job. My first job was in a clinic that bordered the slums of our town, so I got to see pets from every sector of the socio-economic prism. The Newbie always gets the worst hours so I was on at 7 am four mornings each week. Multiple mornings I had a pleasant client who would be waiting at the front door by the time that I arrived at 6:45 am. She was always dressed the same: a red, lycra, sleeveless, form-fitting dress with a high neck and a pair of black stilettos. She was tall, slender and bleached blonde with heavy makeup. She always had a snotty kitten that she had found behind the dumpster on 32nd and Main. This scenario repeated itself about fifteen times. She would want me to look at the kitten and then want to know, “how much to fix it?” By fixing it, she meant the upper respiratory infection. I would quote her a price, like $60. She would smile and say, “I can have that by noon!” She would leave the little thing with me and be back at the appointed time with cash, usually small bills. Like I said, this woman saved at least fifteen kittens with me, probably more with my predecessor and with my successors. It took me a number of visits before it finally dawned on me: she was a prostitute. And I have yet to meet another person who would prostitute themselves to help sick, stray, baby animals. That is a woman who can really sacrifice for those in need. Now, when I hear someone telling me how much they sacrifice for their pet, I wonder by what scale would they measure sacrifice? My scale--skip a meal or two for that pet or by Red, Lycra Dress scale?