I peered through the little window to catch a glimpse of who could be out there, and saw a perfect stranger--a man. So I opened the door a little and he immediately called my attention to my neighbor who was lying in the gutter across the street.
The stranger said, "I recently had heart by-pass surgery and I can't lift anything over a few pounds, but we need to get this man off the street."
There was no way I could lift a man over six feet tall and my husband was at work, so I said I'd get Joe who lived across the avenue. Joe came right away and got Ed up, and here comes Ed's daughter just off the city bus. So she went into the house and got Ed's wheelchair. Ed's wife was seeing her eye doctor and was not at home when Ed, who was a victim of Parkinson's disease, decided to mow his lawn which sloped down to the curb. No one wants to think of themselves as somewhat helpless, so Ed decided there would be no one to stop him that day.
So Ed was lifted into his wheelchair and was now safely in his home with his daughter, and that
was that. Or so I thought.
Some time later, Ed's wife knocked on my back door with the accusation that my husband had broken two of Ed's ribs when he lifted him off the street. I set her straight on that.
Well, she advised me, "Next time you see Ed fall outside, go over to him and take two pills out of his shirt pocket, one pink and one blue, and give them to him."
I told my husband all about this when he came home and he said, "If there is a next time, just call 911."
Now why didn't I think of that?
I was thinking to myself, "Now this is a great example of neighborly teamwork..." until I got to the last part....the wife should have been thankful someone cared enough to try and help him. And his ribs could have been broken at any time, even before, or when he initially fell! I know how incredibly easy it is to get broken ribs. Like you say, next time it's 911 and let them sort it out... :-)
ReplyDeleteI remember you telling me this story several years ago. It is hard to believe that people would act like that. As musicalpackrat said, she should have been thankful that you came to his aid. Yes, in these days of law suits and anger 911 is the best option.
ReplyDeleteIt's not always easy to do the right thing when an emergency happens. People don't usually think clearly when under stress. But, I believe it is better to do something, even if it turns out to be a less than optimal choice.
ReplyDeleteAt her birthday party, a young girl's hair caught on fire from the candles on her cake. It happened quickly. Many others saw it happen, but were taken by surprise and just watched the blaze spread to her paper party hat as the little girl screamed. My father-in-law heard the screams from across the room, pushed the frozen onlookers aside, tore off his coat and used it to smother the flames. He was a hero that day.
You, Joe and the man at your door were heroes, too.
I guess that was Elmer. Such a nice person he was!
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