When you work in any sort of customer service field — as a waiter, a store owner, or a doctor — you become familiar with your regular customers, guests, or patients over time.
Getting to know the regulars is part of the job, and knowing a bit about their lives comes with the territory. You learn about their lives, their jobs, their families, and their hobbies.
This goes for pharmacists too.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians know about some of their customers' most sensitive information: their health problems and which medications they're on.
James Morales, a pharmacy tech, likes that he's been able to become familiar with the customers who come in to pick up their pills.
He and his coworkers became particularly friendly with an elderly couple who would come in together all the time — so when the man came in alone, they knew something was wrong.
[H/T: Imgur]
Thumbnail Photo: Wikimedia / Terry White Chemists
James shared his story on Twitter and it got picked up by Imgur — where it went completely viral.
James wrote:
Today I had one of, if not, THE saddest experience of my life. I know most of y’all won’t care but, I just HAVE to share it. Here’s my thread.
I work at a Pharmacy as a tech. Twice and sometimes even three times a week, this old couple picks up their medications. We all know them.
They're regulars. The old woman was usually the one who did the transactions and initiated conversations with me, and the rest of us.
Both of them have been coming to our pharmacy for years, so my coworkers knew them way more than I did. But they grew close to me.
She's always happy and always enjoyed conversations. While he stood beside her, looking at her, paying close attention to the things she says.
There was never a day when they weren't together, and that's why today was very odd to me when I saw him walk up to the counter by himself.
“Mr. Smith, how you doing today?”, I said. He told me that he could be better, which is his usual reply so I didn’t think anything of it.
So I told him that I had 6 medications ready for him. 3 for him and 3 for his wife. He stood there, quiet… then said,
"…My wife… she passed yesterday night. I'm actually here to return the medications because she wasn't even able to use it."
Our pharmacy is always busy and loud. But somehow, everybody inside the pharmacy hears what he said and stopped what they were doing.
It was silent, the quietest it has ever been in there. Everyone's stomach was in a knot, while Mr. Smith stood there in front of me in tears.
"Hate to say it, but I wish I went before she did. It was hard waking up today, to an empty side of the best. She was my best friend & lover."
At this point, I was holding back my tears so hard y’all don’t even know. I look behind me, and some of my coworkers were in tears already.
"But don't be sad. I promised her I will live, and I will take life seriously and take my medications. I'll continue my promises with her."
"She's watching over me, and is the best angel I could ever ask for." He was in tears, and so were we.
But the strong individual he was, he managed to pull himself together and even managed to crack a few jokes with my pharmacists after a bit.
Before leaving, he left us with an advice that I've heard before, but never knew the importance behind it until that moment.
He said: Make sure to tell the ones you love, that you appreciate them. You never truly know when their last breath is, and the last time you'll see them.
He regrets one thing, which was their last conversation. He wished he could have said I love you. Anything other than “good night sweetie.”
Imagine, living with that for the rest of your life. Hoping that you said something else to the person that meant so much to you.
When he left, my coworkers all told him to stay strong and that we will be there for him. I just stood there, and thought about it too much.
How do you, simply live without your best friend? How do you carry on and pretend like everything is ok? How do you wake up in the mornings?
Because if I was in his shoes, I'd be broken. I'd be numb. Spending the majority of your life with someone, just to be left alone in the end.
I saw my pharmacist make a call, it was to her husband. She broke the news and told him that she appreciates him.
I thought it was funny, then, I realized all of my damn coworkers were texting/calling their significant others, telling them that they love em, teary-eyed and all.
Then it hit me… I caught myself wanting to text someone, just to realize that I had nobody.
Make sure to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you, before you don’t have the chance anymore.
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