A cry in the darkness
by Bob on September 4, 2007
I was going out to our courtyard on a cold winter's night to get some fresh air. It was quite dark and lonely. In the corner of our courtyard was a shadow of a person with a hoodie over the head, so I couldn't see who it was.
But the person was sobbing. In fact, the person, who was a lady I could vaguely tell from the timbre of the crying and sobbing, was in a lot of pain. Emotional pain. Tears of upsetment and hurt and devastation.
There is a choice in these matters. Get involved, or not get involved or somehow in the middle if that's at all possible.
Some tears and crying are tears of joy, others tears of simple displeasure, yet others, tears and cries of deepest sorrow. This lady was crying in the worst way, in the most hurtful way.
I walked toward a bench in the other corner of the courtyard, but I still could hear the crying. It was echoing in the yard against the old walls. I thought, maybe she just wants her own privacy and I should let her alone rather than intrude.
But I thought about that hard. Her cries were piercing my heart and my soul.
I decided there is too much ambivalence about other people in this world today, so I gently walked over. I just whispered "Are you okay?". She cried harder but said nothing. Here we were, freezing in the cold, in a nice courtyard alongside a building from 1888. And there is so much hurt echoing. I had to be human. I took her and hugged her, still without seeing her face or knowing who exactly she was, since her head was covered with the hoodie, and just continued to hug her gently. I said that it will all work out in time without any complicated questions at all. I just said "I am here for you". She hugged me and her crying was not as piercing as before. I asked if she wanted to be alone and she said yes. I said that if she needed me I would be on the other side of the courtyard.
As I trudged along in the cold to the bench, I heard her say faintly, "Thanks", in the distance.
I felt better. People need people.
So months passed and every day I thought about just who that girl was since I must know her from my residence, but I never found out or tried to find out. I just prayed for her as a person everyday and thought of her and hoped that her pain would be assuaged.
Then a few days ago I was talking to a very nice young lady in my residence, of whom there are many, and she said very softly to me, "Bob, don't you remember me ? I was the one you held that night when I was crying. Thanks for being there for me". I was touched. She had shared her inner soul with me.
This is what makes life worth living, and people are indeed a great gift. I am very thankful it all worked out.