Gravity works
Aug. 17th, 2003 06:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaspamasterJust walked in from the drive back to queens, its been an odd night of fun and pleasantries caped with the surrealistic joke of life making its exclamation point to make sure your paying attention.
Turning the corner back onto 26th street from eight we approach the car. A young man obviously distraught comes up asking if any of us have a cell phone there’s a woman about to jump off the building above the Italian restaurant.
We give him the phone and he calls 911, he’s distraught he’s been trying to talk her down and she stands atop the ledge of the roof hands behind her.
She’s said something about her hands being tied; don’t try to stop her she will jump she sounds distant and torn from where we stand on the block.
The police arrive she moves around her arms still behind her is she tied is she holding them together with something wrapped around her wrists.
The emergency vehicles passes our street as more police arrive and then come seemingly around the block driving down the street.
They pull out equipment its distant there are cars and truck between us we can’t see down the street.
She stands on the edge threatening the cops to go away don’t try don’t she will jump her voice is distant fading in and out with the breeze spectral and hollow is it her or is it someone else yelling her commands.
The cops have the street blocked, lights flashing turning the night into myriad shards of winking lights its festive. She walks back from the edge and disappears for a few moments, maybe she isn’t serious maybe it’s over maybe she is afraid, maybe she’s getting a running start for her leap.
She reappears she returns to the edge she calls to the cops to go away her hands are tied her arms are rigid behind her seeming restrained, she sits on the edge her feet over the edge she straightens her body her legs pointing down I can see her arms behind her she slides off the edge and falls I turn the person next to me away from the sight and turn to hear the sound of a body crashing into the awning metal crashing crinkling wet sound concrete hard like a wet sack it stops, I think she’s landed on a car that’s what it should sound like.
Everyone stands and holds each other the young guy who tried to stop her is coming apart and is in tears we are all still and holding each feeling broken and in shock all hugging and comforting, there’s nothing else we can do.
The cop’s say the awning broke her fall she’s talking in the ambulance she’s going to saint Vincent’s.
She’s probably going to be all right.
There’s more, the kids from a party around the corner on eighth walk by heading uptown weaving between the cops in the cross walk not comprehending what’s happened moments before young tattooed pretty, tall Blackman with no shirt muscle builders body all walk by, the moment we went thru contained by time, they are protected from it and see only cops and a still street and flashing lights.
The boy friend and the roommate of the girl show up we hear his screaming around the corner, his friends call to him that she’s alive and on her way to the hospital.
We finally leave the cops taking there time getting the info from us they need as witnesses.
We drive away and see the guy who tried to help is back, he had left to go home to try to rest he’s back we call to him and tell him to go over to the friends of the girl they had wanted to talk to him, he hurries after them to talk to them and we drive off, the light is coming up the sky is a sourcless gray haze not quite real bordering on blue.
I have come up stairs we all hugged downstairs and said good byes we will be all right its morning its later than we had all hoped to get where we are going, and I am writing this now and the time is 7:28 am
I am going to sleep I may change this later right now its what’s in my head
Turning the corner back onto 26th street from eight we approach the car. A young man obviously distraught comes up asking if any of us have a cell phone there’s a woman about to jump off the building above the Italian restaurant.
We give him the phone and he calls 911, he’s distraught he’s been trying to talk her down and she stands atop the ledge of the roof hands behind her.
She’s said something about her hands being tied; don’t try to stop her she will jump she sounds distant and torn from where we stand on the block.
The police arrive she moves around her arms still behind her is she tied is she holding them together with something wrapped around her wrists.
The emergency vehicles passes our street as more police arrive and then come seemingly around the block driving down the street.
They pull out equipment its distant there are cars and truck between us we can’t see down the street.
She stands on the edge threatening the cops to go away don’t try don’t she will jump her voice is distant fading in and out with the breeze spectral and hollow is it her or is it someone else yelling her commands.
The cops have the street blocked, lights flashing turning the night into myriad shards of winking lights its festive. She walks back from the edge and disappears for a few moments, maybe she isn’t serious maybe it’s over maybe she is afraid, maybe she’s getting a running start for her leap.
She reappears she returns to the edge she calls to the cops to go away her hands are tied her arms are rigid behind her seeming restrained, she sits on the edge her feet over the edge she straightens her body her legs pointing down I can see her arms behind her she slides off the edge and falls I turn the person next to me away from the sight and turn to hear the sound of a body crashing into the awning metal crashing crinkling wet sound concrete hard like a wet sack it stops, I think she’s landed on a car that’s what it should sound like.
Everyone stands and holds each other the young guy who tried to stop her is coming apart and is in tears we are all still and holding each feeling broken and in shock all hugging and comforting, there’s nothing else we can do.
The cop’s say the awning broke her fall she’s talking in the ambulance she’s going to saint Vincent’s.
She’s probably going to be all right.
There’s more, the kids from a party around the corner on eighth walk by heading uptown weaving between the cops in the cross walk not comprehending what’s happened moments before young tattooed pretty, tall Blackman with no shirt muscle builders body all walk by, the moment we went thru contained by time, they are protected from it and see only cops and a still street and flashing lights.
The boy friend and the roommate of the girl show up we hear his screaming around the corner, his friends call to him that she’s alive and on her way to the hospital.
We finally leave the cops taking there time getting the info from us they need as witnesses.
We drive away and see the guy who tried to help is back, he had left to go home to try to rest he’s back we call to him and tell him to go over to the friends of the girl they had wanted to talk to him, he hurries after them to talk to them and we drive off, the light is coming up the sky is a sourcless gray haze not quite real bordering on blue.
I have come up stairs we all hugged downstairs and said good byes we will be all right its morning its later than we had all hoped to get where we are going, and I am writing this now and the time is 7:28 am
I am going to sleep I may change this later right now its what’s in my head
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-17 04:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-19 09:59 am (UTC)She was taken to the hosp in critical condition. If you would like or it would make it easier for you, I will let you know the end results.
I have heard that wet slap of people hitting concrete dozens of times. I'm sorry you had to. The horror of the event fades, but that sound will be ingrained in your mind forever.
Would be helpful
Date: 2003-08-19 11:19 am (UTC)Thank you ;-)
Re: Would be helpful
Date: 2003-08-19 12:31 pm (UTC)