This first version could be considered somewhat a spiritual turn on the story.
I was sitting on a rock in the dessert, meditating and asking the Universe to guide me to my next venture and experience I needed for my journey through life. I felt a swift breeze as something flew past my face in an instant. I opened my eyes, and was startled by a vulture circling. His eyes were glazed and fixed on me. In a second I could be his next kill! I searched around for the nearest escape route but none looked safe. I had to do something to get out of his grasp -- NOW! My eyes took me to a leap of faith and a jump down to a neighboring plateau. I rolled over on the ground and dodged into some brushwood to camouflage me from his view. Lying there quietly, I waited for him to be distracted by a new victim. I knew I had to be as still as the brush if I was going to walk away from this ordeal.
I started meditating again, going deeper into myself. I closed my eyes and prayed for faith, going even further into my being to still my heartbeat. I lay there, one with the Universe and present to the moment. Just then, I heard the cry of another animal that was not swift enough to evade the grasp of the vulture. I continued to lie still as he finished his feast and flew off in the distance. It would be dark soon so I needed to survey the damages to my body and prepare to safely but quickly head back home.
I first noticed the pain coming from my left ankle. As I stood up and it became apparent that it was either broken or sprained. Mind you, it was only an uneducated guess that it was a sprain since I had not experiences either before today. I slowly made my way to the car, as the pain attacked my ankle and foot with each step I took. In my first moment of rest, I sat in the driver’s seat and could only feel the throbbing of my foot. No matter how still I attempted to remain, the throbbing continued nonetheless. The pain had overcome my powers of concentration. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs as I repeatedly told myself to focus. I locked the car doors and headed back onto the dirt road, down a couple of miles to the highway. At the nearest off ramp adjacent to what looked like civilization, I made my exit and found the closest gas station to get directions to the nearest hospital emergency ward and then back on my way again.
Upon entering the hospital, everything began to shift! I was in a time warp! Whatever I attempted to do seemed to take longer now, yet time was on its own schedule and moving quickly ahead without me. For four hours I was in that hospital, waiting: waiting in admitting, waiting in the examining room, waiting in the x-ray waiting room, and then round-robin back into the examining room. Bad timing on my part! You see it was a full moon. Hospitals are notorious for being unusually full of activity during a full moon. Since my ankle was low priority I asked a male nurse to turn off the light in the room so I could meditate during the alternate waiting sessions. I wanted to treat myself with some Reiki on the ankle but because I wasn’t sure if it was just a sprain or a break I needed to be patient and wait some more before doing it. After taking x-rays the diagnosis was a sprain. They wanted to give me painkillers when I first arrived yet I knew I was going to be driving myself home and wanted to stay alert as possible so I declined the offer at the time. Now that I knew the prognosis I was ready for a little relief so I accepted the offer the second time.
The doctor would only agree not to put me on crutches and a cast if I could walk four steps. Four steps seemed like a simple request; I mean, look, it’s only four steps! Then, I took the first step and pain from the impact of my foot touching the floor went shooting up my leg, then through my entire body. I stood there now waiting; waiting for the pain to subside. I looked up at the doctor as he announced, “That’s one!” Four steps could have suddenly become the impossible. Yet I was determined, and when faced with what looked like an impossible situation, I was ready to forge ahead. I stood there, for one moment, regrouping my thoughts as I broke a smile for him. In his patience he smiled back while he was waiting for me to take the next three steps. I took the next step and heard him say, “two!” He smiled once more. Talk about baby steps! Steps three and four came a little quicker but none less painfully. Hurray! I had made it – four steps! I held on tight to the back of the wheelchair, began slowly to work my way around the room, then out into the hall to work up some strength as the doctor processed my release forms.
Security helped me out to my car and I found the nearest Walgreen’s with a drive up window so I wouldn’t need to get out of the car until I reached home. Home! Home at last! Now came the never-ending journey up the walkway and then up two flights of stairs. In my mind I remembered what my daughter Gina had once told me about her sprain – up with the good, down with the bad – leg that is. So slowly I worked my way up to the second floor, opened the door and inched over to the sofa. Home at last! There you go!
Now maybe -- if you don’t cozy up to the spiritual tale and you could be looking for a light romantic version -- try this.
It was one of those sultry St. Louis evenings and the sun was bidding its farewell to the night. Even as it lingered on the horizon, it gave off a heat of its own while it welcomed in the gentle evening breeze. I was dressed in a fashion that was now expressing my passionate side and lust for life. It was fiery as well as arousing to my senses, and my three-inch heels added the overpowering finishing touch to giving me that ultra-feminine feeling.
I walked into the upscale restaurant for a relaxing dinner with a twenty-minute wait. I made my way to the bar for a cool glass of wine to quench my thirst. I enjoy a good wine; the aroma of the grape’s juices as I lightly swirl it in the glass; the coolness of the liquor as it glides past my lips, leaving them wet with its flavor. As I capture the nectar in my mouth and hold it captive to my taste buds, a presence of ecstasy fills my being from the sweet pleasures to be found in the spirit and essence of its vintage juices. I was deep into enjoying my wine when I opened my eyes. To my astonishment a man was observing my moment of pleasure from across the room. His eyes and questionable smile were the only features visible to me in the moment. This voyeur had intruded into a pleasurable moment and I suddenly felt an invasion of my privacy. My innocent moment of bliss vaporized, leaving a blush of red on my cheeks. I turned away from his glance attempting to regain my privacy and composure.
I have times when I know in advance what will happen yet I have learned it’s best to let it play out and not interfere with destiny. This was a moment of destiny. He was walking toward me and I could feel his presence as he approached. I turned toward him; half hoping I was wrong, so that I might avoid any more embarrassment. There he stood – just inches from me in this crowded bar. “Are you dining along too tonight,” he questioned? Most times that would seem like just another line to break the ice -- but this time -- this time there was a gentle nature in this stranger’s voice. “Yes,” I quickly, yet politely, replied. “May I suggest we dine together – we could get seated sooner if we did,” he explained, and then broke into that undefined smile once more. At this point my stomach was having its own conversation so I gave in to what seemed logical – why not – it’s only dinner.
He kept the dinner conversation flowing with a discussion about my jewelry. He mentioned that he had a keen eye for expensive objects and noted that he was sure mine were real. I mentioned that my eyes also gravitated toward the finer things of life and they were indeed real – nothing phony about me! While my senses usually told me to proceed with caution, his persona was making the statement that he could support himself in the style of “the good life.” We enjoyed our wine, dinner, and my favorite dessert --Tiramisu. We each paid our separate tabs at my insistence and started toward the front door.
He had parked close to the front but my car was at the end of the parking lot. Being the gentleman, he graciously offered to walk me to my car. From the conversation it was becoming apparent to both of us that we were destined to spend time together and before we were half way to my car, he stopped, glanced at me and I at him. Not needing to say a word, our lips met for the first time. It felt delicious! He had a gentle yet firm touch. We didn’t need to say anything – our two core beings were natural in each other’s presence – such as that of soul mates. Each time our eyes met, they spoke for our hearts, from our hearts. It was as if we were beating as one and we were. I could feel our heartbeats had begun beating in unison! Wow!
We stood under that full moon sweetly and tenderly giving each other kisses. Then suddenly, in an instant, a look of panic came over his face and in his eyes as he quickly pushed me away from him. I was caught off balance and twisted my ankle as I fell to the ground. What followed was a loud crashing sound and dust everywhere. When the dust cleared, I saw him lying under a jigsaw puzzle of debris. I called his name – no answer. He wasn’t moving. Spectators were running toward us to help. Some sort of structure had come loose from its bracing and collapsed to hold him captive underneath. Men began pulling off small sections of the broken structure in an attempt to free him from his concrete prison. Things weren’t moving fast enough for me and I began to help free him as well by taking the heaviest pieces I could manage to move by myself. With each movement I kept calling his name. Others began to call out his name as well to let him know help was on the way. As we continued, paramedics pulled up in an ambulance and a fire truck followed on its tail. They were all moving with the precision of a choreographed team of professionals. The firemen finally freed him and the paramedics began their work. Each time I looked into someone’s eyes I only saw concern and concentration. They were doing the best they could and that’s all one could ask. Someone saw me limping and came over to take a look at my ankle. It didn’t seem that important right then. I had just met my soul mate and there was a chance he would be leaving my life as quickly as he came into to it. They put us into the ambulance and raced us to the hospital and into separate examining rooms. The atmosphere in my room was quiet and subdued while the atmosphere in his room was filled with hospital personnel and full of activity. They were attempting to identify all the problems that needed immediate addressing as well as locate any “sleepers.”
I couldn’t hear too well what was happening in his room and the doctor and nurse who were attending to me were keeping me distracted with questions and my own set of x-rays. They separated us even more when they sent me to x-ray on another floor. I lay there on the stainless steel slab, waiting for pictures to be taken, not knowing what was happening with him. I couldn’t think of my own pain. Only thoughts of him kept filling my head. I prayed, sending him good Reiki energy and then praying again that I hadn’t lost him so soon. Each time someone came in the room I inquired about his status. No one knew, or maybe they just couldn’t say. He was on another floor, besides, I wasn’t a relative so they were reluctant to say anything that could compromise his privacy.
The doctor came in and confirmed the sprain but I was only still thinking of him. What was happening? Why hadn’t anyone come to tell me how he was? All I could think to do was keep praying and sending Reiki his way. It seemed hours now and they had given me a sedative to ease the pain. I lay there in the bed wondering if I would ever see his sweet smile again, or the look in his eyes that said everything that needed to be said. Would I ever get the chance to feel a closeness with him once more? Our time together was so special, so precious, and too short. We only had those few hours of being together and sharing the joys we found in being in each other’s company and in the moment. It was as if I could feel his presence as I lay in my bed. I felt the warmth from his smile, the joy from his laughter, his gentle touch, and his spirit telling me not to worry so. It was as if he was talking to me possibly from the other side. He whispered so softly into my ear and let me know that he heard me praying for him. He wanted to reassure me that everything was going to be ok. Was I dreaming? Was it all wishful thinking?
As I opened my eyes, I looked around the empty room and realized I was alone once more. It was morning now and a nurse broke the silence as she opened the door. “We need to get you up and around,” she announced, ushering me out of bed and into a wheelchair. I wasn’t really paying too much attention to what she was saying. I was in my own fog. She wheeled me down the hall and toward yet another room, then opened the door. My heart burst with joy to see him lying there in bed, alive and covered in bandages. He smiled at me with those eyes of his, not saying a word and yet saying it all with that smile and those eyes. Tears were running down both our faces as we were realizing how lucky we were to have found each other and having survived our ordeal. The nurse wheeled me over closer to his bed. I firmly stood up, bent down, and our lips joined in a kiss. In my heart, I blessed that night I decided to go to dinner – just at the right time!
Ok now! So… maybe you’re not into spiritual nor romantic! Maybe suspense is your cup of tea! So then… it could have gone something like this…
It was a foggy St. Louis evening. The only thing that made it worse was the humidity. I opted to keep cool in a light, long flowing dress and wedged open-toed heels and left the nylons at home. Ah natural!
I walked into the upscale restaurant for a relaxing dinner with a twenty-minute wait. I made my way to the bar for a cool glass of wine to quench my thirst. I enjoy a good wine; the aroma of the grape’s juices as I swirl it in the glass, the coolness of the liquor as it glides past my lips, leaving them wet with its flavor. As I capture the nectar in my mouth and hold it captive to my taste buds, a presence of ecstasy fills my being from the sweet pleasures to be found in the spirit and essence of its vintage juices. I was deep into enjoying my wine when I opened my eyes. To my astonishment a man was observing my moment of pleasure from across the room. His features were not completely visible except for his eyes and a questionable smile. This voyeur had intruded into a pleasurable moment and I suddenly felt as though my privacy had been invaded. My innocent moment of bliss vaporized, leaving a blush of red on my cheeks. I turned away from his glance attempting to regain my privacy.
I have times when I know in advance what will happen yet I have learned it’s best to let it play out and not interfere with destiny. This was a moment of destiny. He was walking toward me and I could feel his presence as he approached. I turned; half hoping I was wrong to avoid any more embarrassment on my part. There he stood – just inches from me in the crowed bar. “Are you dining along too tonight,” he questioned? Most times that would seem like just another line to break the ice -- but this time -- this time there was a gentle nature in the stranger’s voice. “Yes,” I quickly but politely replied. “May I suggest we dine together – we could get seated sooner if we did,” he explained, and then broke into a smile that could not be defined. At this point my stomach was growling so I gave into what seemed logical and innocent so – why not – it’s only dinner.
He kept the dinner conversation flowing with a discussion about my jewelry. He mentioned that he had a keen eye for expensive objects and noted that he was sure mine were real. I mentioned that my eyes also gravitated toward the finer things of life and they were indeed real – nothing phony about me! This is the moment when my senses usually tell me to proceed with caution and that is just what I did. He didn’t falter in keeping on this topic of conversation throughout dinner and right into dessert. As he continued to stare at my jewels, I was becoming me more and more ill at ease. I insisted we each pay for our own dinners and then started toward the door after saying good-bye. The parking lot was full tonight and my only choice left was across the railroad tracks, at the end of the lot,. I was only halfway there when he caught up with me and insisted on walking me the rest of the way to my car. The further we walked from the restaurant, the more I noticed a lot filled with cars yet abandoned by people.
As we started to cross the railroad tracks, his hand grabbed hold of my arm. In an instant the man with a kind smile on his face had vanished and a rogue emerged in his place. His hold on my arm only grew stronger with my attempts to free myself from his grasp. On the tracks, a train was fast approaching, its light shimmering on and off our opposing silhouettes as the train continued toward us. The engineer, seeing the situation, tugged long and hard at the whistle to warn us of the danger. The man turned quickly to see the train approaching and caught his foot in the ties. I could feel his hold on my arm beginning to bruise my skin as I begged him to release me. I cried out for help but no one could hear my screams above the sound of the train engine, nor the shrill of the whistle. Just then -- something happened -- he lost his grip and I fled free of his hold. I fell on the tracks and twisted my ankle, then got up quickly, leaving a shoe behind, not wasting any time to look back. I ran toward my car, got in, locked the door, and looked out my rearview mirror to see if I could see him coming. There he stood on the track still trying to free himself from his perilous situation. But time ran out. One minute he was there, then the train hit him and he was gone. Shock set in me from the sight of seeing the train run him down. It burned a horrifying lasting memory into my mind that night.
I didn’t know what I was doing. I started the car, left the parking lot and headed toward the hospital. As I drove, I was grateful to be alive but sad to have witnessed his tragic death. Pain was shooting through me from different directions. I entered the emergency room, wondering how much damage there was to my leg, ankle, and foot. No matter what else I was thinking at the time, his untimely death kept coming back into my thoughts. There was just one predominate image re-flashing through my mind -- that of the man who met his fate on the tracks that night. In the weeks that followed, there were several news articles about him. They first reported that he was unidentified and that it was an untimely accident in which he had gotten his foot caught in the track. A follow-up article identified him as a felon and jewel thief. I never told anyone what truly happened that night but counted myself lucky that I had lived – not to tell of it!
So now – you’ve read my vivid fables and want to know what really happened? Well, here’s a reality check with just a different spin at the end – yet it really happened.
I had just left work for the evening and decided to pick up something to eat on my way home to save time. I had a party to go to later in the evening and figured I’d eat something quick and easy while I was getting ready. I walked in, ordered my dinner and began leaving -- all within a short five minutes. The moment I stepped outside the front door of the restaurant my left foot came down on a piece of uneven ground, causing me to lose my balance. My dinner went flying in one direction and my purse in another! WOW! What hit me! I was stunned. Instantly pain began to attack several parts of my body, but the greatest was in my left ankle. Two men came up quickly, asking if I was hurt and offering help. Well I was hurt but the real question was how bad? I asked that they wait before helping me up. I needed a second to figure out how bad it was and regain my composure. I had one thought and that was to keep focused. We began picking up my things and quickly tossing them back into my purse. Nothing there was broken but what about me? Another man handed me my dinner and the two men assisted me in getting up off the ground. Ouch! All those places that were hurting! My right knee had some cuts but the worst was still the left ankle. The two men kept a slow pace with me as they escorted me back into the restaurant and toward the nearest chair.
The manager came up immediately to apologize, mentioning that someone else had also fallen in the same area. What was evident to all of us in the parking lot was that someone had taken an uneven section of ground and painted a straight yellow line over it, which gave the appearance of level ground. It was truly an illusion and now two of us had fallen victim to its deception. While he excused himself to get an accident report for us to fill out, I asked the hostess to get me a plastic bag filled with ice so I could get started on giving my ankle some relief. I sat with the bag of ice on my ankle and foot while the manager wrote down the necessary information. He suggested we call an ambulance for my ride to the hospital but I reminded him that it was a full moon and a Saturday night. I figured they could save the ambulance for someone who needed it more than I did, and he agreed to drive me to the hospital. We arrived around 6:30 in the evening. No matter how still I attempted to remain, the throbbing continued nonetheless. The pain had overcome my powers of concentration. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs kept attempting to re-focus. It didn’t matter where my eyes glanced that night in the emergency room – everywhere I looked, I saw people in need of some compassion and some worse off than me. It doesn’t cause you any more pain to smile though, so to each person I passed as they were wheeling me about, I gave a gentle smile of compassion, reassurance, and friendliness. One of the gifts my father gave me was the ability to joke when things weren’t necessarily funny. Joking serves to ease the tension whenever I am hurt, worried, or in uncomfortable surroundings. With each encounter, I found little friendly quips of humor emerging from me toward the hurt person. Not surprisingly, I received smiles back from them as well. If I made one persons night a little less crazy and comfortable then I guess I did my small part to helping repair the earth that night.
But now, now I was in this time warp! Everything I attempted to do seemed to take longer now. Time was on its own schedule and moving quickly ahead without me. For four hours I was in that hospital, waiting: waiting in admitting, waiting in the examining room, waiting in the x-ray waiting room, and then round-robin back into the examining room. It was definitely bad timing on my part. Don’t forget! It was a full moon! Hospitals are notorious for being unusually crowded with activity during a full moon. Since my ankle was low priority I asked a male nurse to turn off the light in the room so I could meditate during the waiting sessions. I wanted to do Reiki on the ankle but I wasn’t sure if it was just a sprain or a break, so I needed to be patient and wait some more before working on it. After taking x-rays the diagnosis was a sprain. They wanted to give me painkillers when I first arrived yet I knew I was going to be driving myself home and needed to stay alert as possible so I declined the offer at the time.
The doctor would only agree not to put me on crutches and a cast if I could walk four steps. Four steps seemed like a simple request; I mean, look, it’s only four steps! As I took the first step the pain from the impact of my foot touching the floor went shooting up my leg and through the rest of my body. I stood there now waiting; waiting for the pain to subside, and I looked up at the doctor and he announced, “That’s one!” Four steps could have suddenly become the impossible, yet I was determined, and when faced with impossible situations, I usually forge ahead with my Taurus nature. I stood there regrouping my thoughts as I broke into a smile for him and in his patience he smiled back as he was waiting for me now to take the next three steps. I took my next step and heard him say, “Two!” Steps three and four came a little quicker but none less painfully. Hurray! I had made it – four steps! I grabbed on tight to the back of the wheelchair and began slowly to work my way around the room then out into the hall to work up some strength as he processed my release forms. Security helped me out to my car and I found a Walgreen’s with a drive up window so I wouldn’t need to get out of my car until I reached my home.
Home at last! A quick look at the clock showed it to be 11:30 p.m. Now came the never-ending journey up the walkway and then up two flights of stairs. In my mind I remembered what my daughter Gina had once told me about her sprain – up with the good, down with the bad – leg that is. Slowly I worked my way up to the second floor, opened the door and inched my way to the sofa. As I lay there waiting for Gina to come home from work, I remembered the manager mentioning something when he brought my car to the hospital for me. He told me I had just missed a three-car pileup. I lay there on the sofa, revisiting the events of this evening, wondering if my sprained ankle was the means that kept me from being part of a four-car pileup -- and I thanked God for an unanswered party prayer. My evening didn’t go as planned, I didn’t get home in time to go to the party, yet I did get home in one piece though and for that I’m truly grateful.
