Janice & Johnny
When Janice dropped her glasses case in the waiting room at LifeLabs one morning, while in line for a blood test and after fasting the requisite 12 hours, she barely managed a “Thank you” to Johnny, who was sitting beside her and had picked it up and handed it to her.
Earlier, they had been waiting in a line-up outside the Medical Building before it opened at 7:30 am. He was a few people behind her and had initiated an insignificant early morning conversation, with those around him chirping in.
“It’s not a long line this morning.”
“The best time to come is December 24 when there’s hardly anyone in line.”
“They open the doors exactly on the dot.”
And on went the banter. Janice added her two bits to pass the time. “I think it will go quickly today; there aren’t too many people ahead of us.”
But neither of them had factored in those who had secured their place in the queue either through an online appointment, or by using the “Save My Spot” app, all of which made their wait time longer than anticipated.
When Johnny handed her the case, Janice put away her glasses, closed the book she was reading, and carried on chatting with him.
Turned out they were both heading out of town that long weekend, to the same Gulf Island that their adult kids had rented cottages on. Turned out that they had both been doing this for several years, since they lost their spouses. Turned out that they had much in common in the city as well. Then, just as her blood test time was coming up, Johnny took a chance and passed his cell number on to Janice, inviting her to get in touch.
That was three years ago, and they have been enjoying their overlapping lives together ever since. The children and grandchildren tease them about even going for their regular blood tests together, a ritual that they have upheld since that first meeting.
“You never know when you will find something that you may not even know you are looking for at the time,” says Johnny. “Or where,” adds Janice, smiling from ear to ear.
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