Impossible boots to fill

     "That man....do you know what he would do? It didn't matter where I was. He would walk straight to the back of the cafeteria if he had to and give me a hug.  Every day. This man was BUSY. How many doctors you know do that? Most don't even look their patients in the eye." Her eyes were starting to well up with tears. She was of course, referring to Dr Red Duke. Whether the person was the president of these United States, a cafeteria lady (or a med student), he treated everybody the same. 

     "If I turn out to be a fraction of the doctor he had in the tip of his pinky finger, I'll consider myself a success."

     "Uh-uh," she shook her head no back and forth. "You got to be BETTER than that. You've got some mighty big boots to fill. And you'll fill'em. You have to. We need docs like that."

     "Well, I know I ain't him, but I'll be the one to start giving you hugs."

     And a wry smile cracked her face. "You better live up to that. Don't make promises you ain't gonna keep."

     So I hugged her like my cousin taught me to.