As originally posted on LinkedIn on July 18, 2016. Ivan Del Valle is the author of "The Ring Of The Witch: The Curse Of Apollo". Learn more about the book at ' https://www.sevenheartspublishing.com/featured-book '.

Candy, this one is for you

True story... Late January, 2016... Downtown Charleston, South Carolina... 6:30 PM

(Walking nervously) I think she's following me... There she is again... I bet it's more than just her... I better move fast, and get out of here... Move fast, Ivan... Come'on. Move faster... Keep your eyes wide open... You are getting close to the exit door... Ok, I can't see her now. Good. Let me speed up... Faster... I'll take a left on that aisle, and that will be it... Faster, Ivan... Get out of here... Almost there... Almost there...

"OH, GOSH!!!" (yelling while stopping abruptly and losing balance)

"Sorry! I almost tackled you! Are you ok??" And when I raised my head, there she was... Just right there in front of me... So close, that I was uncomfortable with the lack of personal space. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. I couldn't move... and she didn't step back.

"Hi," she said... Softly and calmed. I was in shock. Yes... I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. She was short, and for sure the thinnest adult person I recall in my entire life. Her skin was all dried up, like if all her body was burned. She didn't have eyelids (or at least didn't seem to have), neither eyelashes or eyebrows. The hair under her hat didn't seem natural. She almost had no nose, and her lips were almost unnoticeable.  I responded, still very nervous and very wary about my surroundings... "Hi," and didn't say anything else. She made a small pause and responded... "I'm sorry if I scared you. That was not my intention. My name is Candy..." I could barely understand what she was saying, but the tone of her voice was so soft and relax, that I calmed down a bit, and said... "Hello, Candy. Nice to meet you. Is there anything I can do for you today"? She replied: "It's ok if you feel uncomfortable looking at me. You don't need to. I'm used to it." Then, after she said that, I stopped being as nervous as I was, and made full eye contact with her.

"Ichthyosis..." "I beg you pardon? I didn't understand what you just said." She said... "It is called ichthyosis. You know... The thing on my skin." I was in total silence... I didn't know what to say. "It is congenital. It is in an advanced stage. It has gotten much worse lately." I was still speechless... Just listening to her... "Your accent...", she said. "Sounds familiar... Spanish?" She said, while smiling and making some gestures with her hands and head, like if we were friends. "Yes, Spanish," I replied, while giving her a subtle smile. Her eyes were now wide open - noticeable even without having eyelids, and she said "I know a bit of Spanish!!!" "Dulce!," she said, now trying to give a wider smile. I replied, "Sorry?" She said it again, this time louder, and very proud of herself, like if she were bragging... "Dulce! That is the translation of my name in Spanish!," followed by saying with enthusiasm a few additional words she knew in the language. I told her "Yes, Candy. That's excellent. Your pronunciation is very good." 

While looking at her speaking, I was wondering where all of that conversation was heading to. She was very educated, and looked pretty enthusiastic about exchanging words with me. She talked about a friend she had years ago from Honduras. She talked about how good was with her the Mexican mommy of a little neighbor when she was a kid. She started talking about other things related to the few Spanish words she knew. I was a bit distracted... I was short of time, as I had a commitment. I just stopped at that "other" big pharmacy, that is not the one located next to Marion Square, just to buy something quickly. I wasn't expecting spending a lot of time there at all... I guess my body language was noticeable, and her face changed, and said "You need to go... Thank you very much for the conversation. I really enjoyed it. Nice to meet you. Have a lovely evening.", and turned back and started to walk... "Ivan!", I said raising my voice, as she started getting far... She turned back... "My name is Ivan," while I started to approach her again... She smiled...

We continued talking about different topics. People passed around us, looking at us like if we were from another planet. Their looks seemed like a mix of fear and anger - like if we shouldn't be there. I could feel the glances of people watching, and commenting in low voice. I didn't care... at all... We were talking like if we were old friends that reunited after a long time. Then, after a while, I asked her... "Candy, do you need anything? Is there anything I can do for you?" She was silent, and stopped making eye contact. I waited a second, and looked at her expression and body language, and said again, this time more paused... "Candy... Do you need anything? Please, don't be shy. If I can be of help, it will be my pleasure to do so..." She then timidly replied (still without making eye contact)... "I haven't eaten in two days..." Once again I was speechless... It took me like three seconds to react. "Ok! We'll fix that right away! What do you want? Just let me know, and I'll buy it for you." She then said, in a low tone, again very timidly... "If you would like to do something for me, could I ask for something else other than food?" Again, slow with my response... "Sure... How can I help you." And she made a gesture with her hand, asking me to follow her.

She brought me to another area within the pharmacy, and said... "I am not well. My condition is very advanced. At times every single move that I do is very painful. Sometimes it feels like if my whole body is burning. I know this is too much, but if you could, would you buy me this? It really helps me with the pain, and I haven't been able to buy it in days." She handled me a lotion. Its cost was $3.99... I looked at her and said... "Are you telling me that a lotion that costs $3.99 will help you alleviate your pain for several days, and you haven't found anyone that help you buy it?" She was in silence... Her head down, like if she felt ashamed... I quickly said... "No, no, Candy... Please, don't misunderstand me. Sorry if I made you feel bad. I'll definitively buy it for you. Sorry about that." And when I tried to grab a few, she stopped my hand with hers very gently, and told me that one was more than enough, stating her thanks once again.

Writing this article is difficult for me. I can almost see her on my mind right now, remembering how she started talking about her life since when she was a kid. She told stories about the worst abuses you could imagine, from both strangers and family members. She talked about how tough it was for her when people passed by, and ignored and accelerated their pace, looking at her like if she was a monster. She talked about the loneliness of the days and days without exchanging a single word with anyone, as nobody wanted to be even close to her. She talked about someone that in the past beat her repeatedly, forcing her into drugs and asking money on the streets. She talked about how she needed to move from place to place all the time (living on the streets), because of people that "really didn't mean to say and do what they were doing," as she literally said. She talked about how often she has been asked to leave the premises of places, simply because of her appearance. She talked about how tired she was, both on her body, and her spirit... "Look at this..." Raising her outworn wig in one side, and showing that she had no left ear. "Look at me. You have no idea of all the pain I am having right now across my entire body. I am alive, but have been dead for years. I want all of this to end. I can't handle it anymore." She started trying to cry... And I say "trying", because her eyes didn't seem to be able to produce tears... Then, something I wasn't expecting happened... She hugged me...

I couldn't move. My first reaction was to lift my arms, but I quickly lowered them. I returned the hug... Softly... In silence... I can say, without a single doubt, that I've never felt anything even close to that. It has been one of the most powerful hugs I remember on my entire life... Not because of it's strength, but because of the impact on me. I am not sure how to describe it with words... It was like a desperate silent scream, coming inevitably from the urgency of someone with the ultimate need of feeling like a human being. Someone that desperately needed to feel that she meant something to someone, even if just for a few seconds. I will never forget that hug. I just stayed there, allowing her to be there all the time she needed. I wouldn't have dared to make the slightest of moves, for not breaking a moment that I knew was so important to her. I don't know why she chose me. I just went to the pharmacy to buy a few goods... I don't know why all this happened to me... But what I know for sure is that something inside me changed that day... On that aisle... In the most unexpected place... I experienced one of the most sublime moments of my entire life. 

I tried to comfort Candy a bit with some words. I made sure she had access to food and her lotion for several days. I had to go, and before leaving, she thanked me for being 'her angel'. I quickly told her to please don't call me that way, because it was definitively a title I didn't deserve at all. She just smiled, repeating once again... "Thanks for being my angel..." I still wake up late night without being able to forgive myself for not having done more for her. For not making sure to inquire how to get back to her again... I go to Downtown Charleston almost every weekend, and each time I go I look all over around to see if I can find her. I miss having a conversation with my friend... Yes... I proudly call Candy my friend. I feel honored by the opportunity life gave me in meeting her. How ironic... I wonder if she ever realized that SHE was the angel for me that day. That she made me realize that we, individually and collectively, have an undeniable responsibility to don't allow situations like hers to be lost in invisibility... She made me realize that no matter what I would consider a challenge, it's nothing when compared to what a lot of people go through on a day to day basis. She made me question how could we allow things like this to happen. How fragile what we call "social responsibility" really is. How insufficient good intentions are. She renewed my spirit for volunteerism, and gave me the gift of a call-to-action to make sure people knew about her; that she existed; and that her life was important.

Candy is one of the most beautiful persons I've ever met... I don't think I will ever see her again... at least not here on earth. I probably won't have the bless of exchanging words with her again, seeing she smiling while bragging about her knowledge of a few words in Spanish. I prefer to think that she just moved again to another location... instead of the other option that haunts my mind... I prefer to think of her smiling somewhere - even if still hiding from a world that can't seem to understand how important her life is. I pray to see her again someday, and I know I will, even if it's in the afterlife. We will meet again, Candy. Yes, I'm sure we will meet again... Thanks for everything that you have done for me.

I leave you with this question... Do you believe in angels living among us? I would be very touched if you share your personal experiences by commenting this article. I know I believe in angels walking among us... I met one that day...

Candy... This one was for you...