the jump

Part 2

My day started out as any normal I was rushing everyone out because we were late as usual, I was lucky if I made it out of the house before 8 even if I did the traffic will be unbearable. trying to get two kids and a grown man ready for the day. "Kids hurry up you're going to be late for school, I yelled over all the raucous. Amber help your brother put his shoe on honey, where are the car keys, I don't know did you check your purse, of course, I did that's the first place I checked.. oh wait never mind. okay, come on guys get into the car before we're late. have a good day honey. everyone buckled up okay let's go. we were driving down the same route like always my kids were fighting about music but as I stopped at the red light my son said, mommy, what is that lady doing up there. I don't know baby, she is probably enjoying the view.

"the view of buildings?" my daughter said. but as I looked up and saw her near the edge i got a feeling that something was off the light had turned green and the cars behind me started to honk their horns "mom are you going to drive" I was stuck in a haze "mom" beep beep "mom drive" beep beep and at that very second she jumped I didn't understand what I was seeing. so suddenly she hit the pavement I was frozen I didn't understand what I had just seen a lady screaming broke me from my trance.  I told my daughter to stay in the car and watch her brother I fumbled in purse for my phone I couldn't find it. I was so scared but I knew I needed to get my act together for kids or they would get scared. I dumped everything out of my purse and I grabbed my phone that had fallen under my seat. I've never called 911.  I always counted myself lucky until today.

operator-911 operator.what is your emergency?                                                                                                        

Me- someone just jumped from off a building oh god there is so much

operator-  where are you 

Me- I'm on Phillips road at the Phillips landing apartment complex please hurry. 

operator- don't hang up help is on its way

Me-ok  

operator- is the person conscious and breathing 

I put my ear up to the woman's mouth I didn't hear anything everything was so loud the cars and the people starting to crowd around I could not concentrate like this. I yelled at everyone to keep it down they stopped I put my ear back to her mouth and closed my eyes and hoped for the best at that moment it felt it was just I think I was there for two minutes as I was pulling away I heard her  pained breathing 

Me-yes its very slight 

operator-well the ambulance is almost there 

 five minutes later I heard the sirens and saw the ambulance roll around the corner they told everyone to move back. everything after this happened so fast. when the cops showed up I had to answer a few questions but I could barely focus because in the background  I could see her being rolled away into the back of the ambulance after all the questions the police officer it was okay for me to go and we went our separate ways I as I entered the car I sat there shaking and crying not realizing that I was being watched "mom is everything okay" my daughter said. "yes" I said. we drove home in silence when we entered the house my kids went directly to there toys I went to my bedroom and locked the door behind I sat there on my bed thinking about what if. Then when I snapped back into reality. later that night when my husband got home I told him everything that happened. all he could do was hug me and ask if I was okay. I didn't answer him I wasn't really sure if I was I had just witnessed someone take their life you hear about things like this on the news all the time but it was terrifying seeing it first hand I never thought that much about it when I did hear about it because it becomes normal to hear about people dying and that's the times we're living in where a people commit suicide, kids shoot up  schools and a mother kills her kids. its horrible and wrong and we all grieve it but that's the extent. I may not have known that lady but I grieved that day like any family member would.the next day when I went to visit her I found out that she had died on her way to the hospital. 

When I was a kid my family used to go on road trips but when plans changed we had to find a new route to get to our destination and that's what I did in the next few weeks. I found a new route so I would never have to pass the scene of that tragic day.