Angel Among Us

It was late in the Sri Lankan day, hot and muggy, as Jill and I drove up to to the ramshackle gate that was wrapped around with a big chain and bigger lock. We were on a mission, so without words, we left the car with our bags and scaled the fence. As soon as our feet hit the hard packed dirt, dogs came rushing at us from every corner of the property. As we opened the door to the house, the dogs followed at our heels and incredibly there were more dogs in the house. Some cowering behind doors, others stranded on tables covered with feces and urine because they were too afraid  to get down for fear of the bigger dogs. In the midst of this chaos, cats watched from  on high. We quickly unloaded the food we brought and bowls were filled. Then the clean up started.

Jill and I met through her daughter, Geraldine, affectionately  known as Gel, who was my student. We quickly bonded through our love of animals and lost people. The poor soul who brought us to this hell hole was a teacher at the school, who was to say the least, mentally unstable, picking up every stray animal she came across. No surprise, she lost her job mid year and with that she lost her work visa, which meant she was supposed to leave the country. But she had no place to go, so the subterfuge began. Unable to pay the rent, the landlord reported her to the immigration people and the deportation process began. Her name was Carol and the police soon showed up and arrested her. She was thrown into the Columbo jail, think a few steps above the Bangkok Hilton, that would be the infamous jail and not the hotel chain.

Jill’s kindness did not stop there. She made daily visits to the jail taking Carol food and the very important cigarettes. Jill had such funny stories of finding Carol the center of attention in the women’s unit, laughing and telling stories; sharing cigarettes with prostitutes who were unfazed by the squalor surrounding them.

While Carol was French Algerian, she no longer had that passport, it had been lost during her many moves along with her sanity;  but since she had married an American serviceman, she was considered a US citizen. The US Embassy suddenly became responsible for her quick departure from Sri Lankan soil and Carol was released to Jill's care. This became an international event because Jill was British and crazy Carol was basically stateless and I was the American assistant behind Jill.

Carol had a son from her marriage to the US serviceman, but the husband had died and the son was a junkie with Aids living on the streets in Atlanta. Jill and I had cleaned up the house and placed some of the dogs. The cats had melted into the jungle around the house. Jill finally convinced Carol that she had to leave the country and if she didn’t want to go to points unknown in America, she needed help. Carol reluctantly turned over her email addresses and Jill wrote personal letters to everyone asking for money and shelter for Carol. Most didn’t reply, others said they were tired of bailing Carol out. At last, a distant relative in France agreed to take her.

Finally, the night came for Carol to leave. A US Embassy attache was meeting us at the airport to ensure that  Carol boarded the plane and left Sri Lanka. Jill and I arrived at her house at 2:00 AM where we found Carol fast asleep on the floor in a pile of clothes, surrounded by about ten dogs. She hadn’t even packed. We hurriedly stuffed things in bags and I noticed designer handbags and high end clothing scattered about. I forgot to mention that Carol was a petite and very pretty woman in her late forties. For weeks Jill had tried to get her to pack her favorite things, but thousands of dollars of beautiful clothing was left behind. We got Carol to the airport before sunrise and turned her over to the American Embassy representative. She did arrive in France but that is not the end of her tragic story.

Working internationally means moving and Jill and I moved on, but stayed in touch through Facebook. I moved to Cairo and Jill and her husband moved to Libya where she was caught up in the Arab Spring, escaping by boat to Italy.

Jill and Malcom’s dream was to restore an old French farmhouse and retire. They bought a big stone house with rolling green hills and woods all around. She had her Great Danes, lots of sheep and baby lambs roaming the beautiful fields and a major renovation project. Over several years they transformed the place into a marvel that I never got to see, but eagerly followed through her beautiful posts and pictures. Suddenly, Jill was experiencing seizures and recieved the terrible diagnosis of an aggressive brain tumor. Still she stayed in touch through Facebook. She never hid the truth, sharing pictures and her indomitable hope.

Looking back at people who inspired me, Jill is always at the top because of her unselfish giving to a woman who could do nothing for her. She cared for Carol, and no doubt others since there is never just one, simply because she was human in need. Our world is crying for more people like her to step up and ease the suffering of just one person, without judgment. It has been almost three years since Jill passed to the next life and I know she received a rousing welcome from animals and other angels alike.

In memory of my friend, Jill Sterry
Colombo, Sri Lanka 2005