Aphrodite Rising

Chapter #25 - Lauren - Life is Never Simple

Just when Sylvia and I found an easy rhythm to our interviews, comfortable with the openness, life threw a curveball. She'd invited me to her house for our next session three days after our visit with Gran and I was looking forward to it, perhaps more than I'd anticipated before. There were phone conversations between time and Sylvia alluded to some recent personal developments she was excited to share with me, but she insisted that she tell me in person. "I need to see your face," she laughed.

Of course, I guessed, badly, at what she was wanting to share. Usually, my conjecture consisted of something along the lines of, "You're going to visit Stanley."

Though that was something that I wanted to happen, and was perfectly within the scope of possibility, she would only chuckle and say, "You'll find out soon."

The morning of the day we were supposed to meet, I went to school, but I was unable to concentrate on anything but writing Sylvia's story. Faking a stomach bug, I was allowed to go home, which I did. Once there, I tried to call her. The line rang and rang- she didn't own an answering machine. The closer I got to our arranged meeting time, the more worried I got, until I made the decision to just go, even if just to assure myself that she was alright. I could visualize all sorts of tragedies, from falling, strokes, heart attacks, and I was worried about her. She never seemed the frail woman, but I learned that strength of spirit didn't necessarily translate to the physical.

Sylvia's front door was slightly ajar and I was able to nudge it a little further with my foot, but it was blocked. Ducking my head in and craning m neck around the door to see what was blocking, I found her. She was crumpled on the floor, her back against the door, her body folded into the fetal position. "Sylvia?" I said with the hope that my voice would rouse her. There was no response. "Sylvia, are you alright?" I reached down and tried to gently shake her shoulder.

"Lauren," she groaned. "I fell." Her voice seemed thin, her words floating past me with no more substance than a spider's web. Trying to get herself up, she pushed her hands on the floor, only to fall back, dejected, against the door.

I tried to slide through the opening without disturbing her too much, succeeding, but barely. "I'm calling an ambulance," I announced as I finally made it through. "You need to go to the hospital."

She lifted a finger up in protest and emitted what sounded like, "No," but she knew better. Her eyes plead with me to take care of her. I, out of anyone left in her life, knew her best. I nodded and knelt down next to her as the 911 operator answered and asked me a series of questions. Some, I asked her, waiting for her to not her head in response, others I answered outright. "They'll be here in a few minutes," I said as I hung up.

I'd never seen Sylvia frightened, but she was now and that, in turn, frightened me. This vibrant woman whom I'd had the pleasure of getting to know, this pillar of strength, this woman made of nothing but, it seemed, pure energy, was frail and broken and afraid and I had no idea how to deal with any of it, other than to make her as comfortable as I could. I grabbed some throw pillows and a blanket from her sofa and placed them behind and around her. As I sat next to her, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

When the EMTs finally got to her house, she was asleep, her eyes closed, her breath low and even. Carefully, I unwedged myself from under her, leaning her head on a pillow against the side table she was next to. "I can't move her from here," I explained as they knocked on the door.

"We'll get through," said one of the EMTs. As I stood up, a thin woman, not much older than I was, squeezed through the opening. She grasped the front end of a back board and pulled it through behind her. "I'll need your help," she told me as she laid the back board on the floor. Spying Sylvia in her bundled up state, she said, "You did well keeping her warm." She checked Sylvia's vitals, nodding her head as she did, a sign that I hoped was good. Finally, she instructed me on how to help her move Sylvia safely, which we did while her partner opened the door the rest of the way and brought a stretcher in. They lifted Sylvia up and fastened her to the top of it before wheeling her back outside and loading her into the ambulance.