P*ssed Woman In A Bush
By M.-L.
@MALUSE (69413)
Germany
September 5, 2018 1:40pm CST
The other day I was on my way downtown to do some shopping. I have to cross a small park on my way. When I was nearly through it, I saw an elderly/old (sixtyish) woman fall into a bush right in front of me. Some metres behind her came a girl, maybe 12 years old, with a satchel on her back, clearly on her way to the nearby school. She had earplugs in her ears and was intently listening to music looking down at her feet. She didn't notice the incident.
She and I met face to face beside the bush. She noticed the woman then and wanted to walk on. I couldn’t believe it. I asked her in a loud voice if she didn’t want to help me get the woman out of her awkward situation. She obviously noticed my moving mouth but due to the music couldn’t understand me. She took one earplug out and said, “What?” (You may know the gesture). I repeated the request. She said, “What? I don’t know what to do.” I suggested she take one arm and I the other one and we pull the woman up. She had still the vacant look of people who are more in their e-gadget music world than in the Here, but she did what I said.
When the woman was on her feet, the girl walked on, still in her world. I noticed that the woman was boozed, pissed, sozzled (take your pick). She stank of alcohol. I led her to a bench and asked her if she needed a doctor because she had fallen. She smiled at me and said, “Oh, no. Everything is fine. I’ve drunk too much. This happens occasionally. Let me sit here for a while. I don’t live far away and can walk home.”
I’ve never seen her again although I cross the park nearly every day.
I pondered for a while if I should go to the school, find the girl’s form teacher (that wouldn’t have been too difficult as I had taught at that school for many years) and ask him/her to dedicate a lesson to the topic of helping people and good behaviour in general but then decided against it. I think the girls’ parents were the ones who needed some talking to. But then I can’t save the whole world, can I?
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Photo: dpa/Symbolbild (the best photo I could find for the topic)
10 people like this
12 responses
@LadyDuck (458176)
• Switzerland
5 Sep 18
No, unfortunately we cannot save the world and those young people surely judge us a bit "nuts" to ask them to help to get up a woman who is in need. I have seen people taking photos of people who had accidents instead of trying to help them. It is a sad world.
@Inlemay (17714)
• South Africa
20 Sep 18
I think the idea of you saving the world one woman in the bush at a time might work. School teachers and those that are retired already (like yourself) are very instrumental in saving people. Just one wrong move from a really terrible teacher can change the GOOD course into a Destructive course for any child. So maybe you have been part of saving some of the world . . .
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
20 Sep 18
@Inlemay It can be a scary thought for a teacher how much impact he or she can have on a pupil's life. Don't think that everything went smoothly in my long teacher's career. I had some severe problems with pupils and their parents. Parents! Give me a break! They were mainly due to the different ethnic* background we have. I've lived in the south of Germany for over forty years now but the mentality of the people here is still strange to me. I lived in the east and the north of the country before and never had similar problems there.
*I'm talking about different German 'tribes', not Germans and foreigners.
1 person likes this
@sweetashoney (3594)
• United States
5 Sep 18
What's sad to know is, look how many people in this world would have kept on walking even though they had seen her fall. I'm glad that you stopped and got the girl to help. Just think, maybe the girl learned something form your act of kindness, who knows.
@sweetashoney (3594)
• United States
6 Sep 18
@MALUSE Well like you said, you can't save the whole world, but look at it this way, it only takes one person sometimes to make a difference. Who knows what may have been going though that young girls head, she might have felt that she was not big or strong enough to help that woman up. But with your help, she was able to.
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
6 Sep 18
@sweetashoney You're right. One doesn't know what impact an action has.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325808)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Sep 18
I doubt you would have been thanked by parents or the school. It's just the way of the world now unfortunately.
@acelawrites (19273)
• Philippines
6 Sep 18
Well, at least you did a good job of helping the woman, as well as sending a message to that school girl to lend a hand to a needy person.
@Courage7 (19633)
• United States
10 Sep 18
Most likely any attempt at communication with a child, a stranger to you, in this land would land you in jail. Totally different culture here. And likewise most kids here would not acknowledge you anyway and would run away which here is the safety issue.
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
5 Sep 18
Good that you passed by and gave the woman a hand. She also needs help go control her drinking habits. It's hard to save the whole world.
@Debscrochet (1947)
• United States
11 Sep 18
It's a different generation. I would have offered help right away,
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
5 Sep 18
The majority of young people I know would be willing to lend a hand. Also don't judge the girl too harshly....you don't know what may have been happening in her life. If she was totally absorbed in something....what you said might not have registered.
