Sep 14, 2012

A crying soul

It is lunch time now; but my mind keeps going back to this morning.

I was busy reading my book (Open by Agassi). Suddenly I hear this voice, "I want to sit". She is a lady. Neatly dressed in a hospital attire, may be a nurse or attendant or janitor I can't tell. African American. About fifty years young.

Being Friday there are plenty of empty seats in the train; but she seems lost and repeats, "I want to sit". A good soul across from me braves to help her, "Here", she says pointing to the seat next to her, "You can sit here". She takes the offered seat thanking her.

She starts a conversation, "I am tired you know. Kind of giddy. I worked all night!" The good soul acknowledges her with her "mhm"s and "ahang"s.

Then suddenly she asks, as if waking up from her sleep, "What time is it anyway? Is it morning or evening?"

"Morning! Almost nine!", comes the response.Good soul gets down in the next station.

As the train starts to move she is getting panicked, "Is this train going Uptown or Downtown?"

Someone answers, "Downtown"

Moments later she asks, "Which station is this?" I answer, "14th Street". She asks me to repeat. "14th Street!" She thanks me.

And then suddenly she starts to cry. It is audible in spite of the noise of the train. I take a side way glance at her. She is searching frantically in her bag, tears rolling down, crying - audibly.

"What is it? Are you okay? You lost something? Are you lost?" I think of different ways I could reach out to her; but I remain silent like the rest of the New Yorkers.

The train comes to a halt. It's my stop. 8th Street. I get down. Walk away.

She lingers on... still crying...

14 comments:

anilkurup59 said...

It is not a New York way. It happens in our back yard too in India.

Why bother, is the refrain. Some one else' s troubles!!!!

Cathy Pena said...

That's as disturbing as she is - disoriented too. :(

eye in the sky said...

Poor lady. I think she needs medical attention.

KParthasarathi said...

You have left me sad worrying about a disoriented woman in distress and conjecturing what would have happened to her.But there is always someonbe ready to help

Irfanuddin said...

really disturbing scenario that was...:(

Unknown said...

This is so sad....

Sakha said...

I wish you had reached out...

Sakha said...

I wish you had reached out...

Anonymous said...

Most of us are afraid of getting involved in the world of strangers.

When I was in the 6th grade in elementary school, I was in the restroom of the public library here in Hawaii. As I passed a stall, there was a young woman sitting next to a toilet with a pool of blood on the floor. She said, "Help me, help me." I looked at her but walked out of the restroom. An older woman asked the younger one, "Are you all right? What's wrong?"

On the bus home, I was so ashamed of myself. I thought to myself that I was a coward for not helping and that I should never become a nurse (a career I was considering).

To this day, I still feel guilty.

Bikram said...

Its the way of the world these days, sadly .

dont know where she would have got down or what she did

but this story is everywhere in uk too , very common

Bikram's

Rachna said...

Disturbing!

R. Ramesh said...

Pepsi with a H...hahha..luv that name ya..and thanks...u have been such a good blog friend...keep the cheers boss

adithyasaravana said...

I have been missing your posts all these while..
I mean I have shut my eyes tight.. And lost so many stories... From mine and others too

Breast Conservation Surgery Therapy Jaipur said...
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