A Stranger That May Never Leave My Mind
Ever encounter someone, even from a distance, who will probably never leave your mind? There's someone I saw from a sidewalk once that may never leave my mind, someone who every now and then comes into my memory. She's someone I saw for only a couple of minutes, but she left an impression on me.
A few years ago I was in downtown Redmond, Washington, walking towards the outdoor mall there while on the sidewalk. A car stops at the intersection and jumping out of the vehicle was a young woman, no later than her twenties I believe, dressed all in black with black hair and glasses. She didn't quite look like a Goth girl but was a couple of steps down. She stood for a long moment on the other side of the street, sobbing and crying loudly, loud enough for everyone across the street, myself included, to hear.
Many questions went through my head. What happened to her? Death of a relative? Financial troubles? Mental illness? Drug problems? What was going through this woman's head?
The woman dressed all in black crossed to the other side of the street once the sign said walk. She was on the opposite sidewalk from me. As she was walking there were two Indian women dressed in saris, looking to me like a mother and daughter duo. Both of them looked concerned for her. The older of the two Indian women looked at the woman dressed in black and said with concern, "Are you okay honey?"
And how did the crying woman, whom everyone in this area had seen sobbing respond? She starred straight into this concerned woman's eyes, who just wanted to see if she was okay, and said to her face, "Fuck you." The woman who had just been previously crying for everyone to see and hear stomped off in an angry huff with tears still in the process of drying. The two Indian women stood there flabbergasted, and perhaps even a bit afraid, and then walked into a store, apparently trying to forget about the whole situation.
I'm fully aware that people are not always logical, but every now and then I find myself wondering about the crying woman. Why did she sob hysterically one moment and then scream, "Fuck you," at a concerned citizen the next? Was she mentally ill? Had something tragic happened to her? Was she a drug addict and under the effects of said drugs? Was she racist against Indian people and thus wanted to lash out at one, even is she was concerned for her?
Sometimes I wonder if I should have done something. Maybe I should have gone across the street and into the store where the two Indian people went inside, walked up to them and said something along the lines of, "Hey, I saw what you tried to do back there. You're a sweet person." Instead I tried to shake it off and move onto the outdoor mall, trying to avoid the woman in black.
I know that the analytical side of my brain is going, "Hey, this moment is insignificant. There are over seven billion people on this planet, and you're thinking about this one crazy chick having a meltdown in downtown Redmond." It's quite likely that the two Indian women totally forgot about the situation and moved on with their lives. If they do remember it maybe they have learned to laugh it off, and bring it up in dinner conversations with their family.
But for a variety of reasons I remember this seemingly insignificant moment. For one, not to brag, but I believe that my memory is better than average. But aside from that I find this memory at least slightly heartbreaking and definitely flabbergasting. Heartbreaking because obviously there was something deeply troubling going on in that woman's mind. And also heartbreaking for the two Indian women in saris, because they were screamed at mercilessly for trying to help a fellow human being. And flabbergasting because that moment totally turned my expectations for how a human being, even the most illogical and distressed, should act.
Whenever I think of this moment, which happens once in a blue moon, I hope that the two Indian women who tried to help out are okay, although I'm sure that they are and are doing quite fine.
And I hope that the woman in black who was crying and belting out curses is also okay, whatever her history may have been, and whatever she was going through at the time. In all likelihood I will never know the fate of this person, or even what her name was, but I hope she is okay.
Note: You can also check out my new writing project, my fantasy novel in progress titled "The Princess of Infinite Tomorrows." You can find it at https://princessofinfinitetomorrows.blogspot.com/.
A few years ago I was in downtown Redmond, Washington, walking towards the outdoor mall there while on the sidewalk. A car stops at the intersection and jumping out of the vehicle was a young woman, no later than her twenties I believe, dressed all in black with black hair and glasses. She didn't quite look like a Goth girl but was a couple of steps down. She stood for a long moment on the other side of the street, sobbing and crying loudly, loud enough for everyone across the street, myself included, to hear.
Many questions went through my head. What happened to her? Death of a relative? Financial troubles? Mental illness? Drug problems? What was going through this woman's head?
The woman dressed all in black crossed to the other side of the street once the sign said walk. She was on the opposite sidewalk from me. As she was walking there were two Indian women dressed in saris, looking to me like a mother and daughter duo. Both of them looked concerned for her. The older of the two Indian women looked at the woman dressed in black and said with concern, "Are you okay honey?"
And how did the crying woman, whom everyone in this area had seen sobbing respond? She starred straight into this concerned woman's eyes, who just wanted to see if she was okay, and said to her face, "Fuck you." The woman who had just been previously crying for everyone to see and hear stomped off in an angry huff with tears still in the process of drying. The two Indian women stood there flabbergasted, and perhaps even a bit afraid, and then walked into a store, apparently trying to forget about the whole situation.
I'm fully aware that people are not always logical, but every now and then I find myself wondering about the crying woman. Why did she sob hysterically one moment and then scream, "Fuck you," at a concerned citizen the next? Was she mentally ill? Had something tragic happened to her? Was she a drug addict and under the effects of said drugs? Was she racist against Indian people and thus wanted to lash out at one, even is she was concerned for her?
Sometimes I wonder if I should have done something. Maybe I should have gone across the street and into the store where the two Indian people went inside, walked up to them and said something along the lines of, "Hey, I saw what you tried to do back there. You're a sweet person." Instead I tried to shake it off and move onto the outdoor mall, trying to avoid the woman in black.
I know that the analytical side of my brain is going, "Hey, this moment is insignificant. There are over seven billion people on this planet, and you're thinking about this one crazy chick having a meltdown in downtown Redmond." It's quite likely that the two Indian women totally forgot about the situation and moved on with their lives. If they do remember it maybe they have learned to laugh it off, and bring it up in dinner conversations with their family.
But for a variety of reasons I remember this seemingly insignificant moment. For one, not to brag, but I believe that my memory is better than average. But aside from that I find this memory at least slightly heartbreaking and definitely flabbergasting. Heartbreaking because obviously there was something deeply troubling going on in that woman's mind. And also heartbreaking for the two Indian women in saris, because they were screamed at mercilessly for trying to help a fellow human being. And flabbergasting because that moment totally turned my expectations for how a human being, even the most illogical and distressed, should act.
Whenever I think of this moment, which happens once in a blue moon, I hope that the two Indian women who tried to help out are okay, although I'm sure that they are and are doing quite fine.
And I hope that the woman in black who was crying and belting out curses is also okay, whatever her history may have been, and whatever she was going through at the time. In all likelihood I will never know the fate of this person, or even what her name was, but I hope she is okay.
Note: You can also check out my new writing project, my fantasy novel in progress titled "The Princess of Infinite Tomorrows." You can find it at https://princessofinfinitetomorrows.blogspot.com/.
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