Fall and falling

Shame on me.  I did not move to help her.  I was at Starbucks, with my computer, it was on Oak Street.  I saw her come into the store. She moved quickly and purposefully to the bathroom.  When she came out she went in line, bought a newspaper and her tea or coffee.  She was in a rush, I could see it in the way she moved.  I do not know her name or I might use it (only her first name).  I saw her look both ways, and then step around the first car parked on the corner on her way to hers, it turned out to be the third one down.

These streets here are narrower and only one car can travel at a time as, they use both sides for parking. She went to step around and I think she stepped on her own heel, because the next thing I saw was the bottom of her shoes, the souls stared right at me, I was the only one who saw.  A few moments later she got up and did not look around but immediately went to her car - ashamed? embarrassed? hurt?; I will never know as I did not go out to find out, to offer her a hand, to buy her a replacement coffee.

I failed her. She went and sat down in her car. It was a long two minutes before she started the car and carefully drove into the lane from her parking spot. She still had her newspaper, but I think her self-esteem poured out of her, just like the hot liquid did from her cup.  She broke her fall somehow, probably used her hands and discarded the cup which then splashed the hot contents to the pavement, where her pride hit hard.

I could not see if she was hurt, she moved to her car quick enough. I did not see any blood, not that she would have turned this way or that but made a beeline for her car.  To be comforted by the shelter of her car.  Maybe she thought people would laugh or point, if she looked around.  She still had her newspaper and after a couple of minutes to compose herself, she drove off. Injured somehow I am sure, after all she fell, it hurt and she was alone.

I would act differently, if it happened again; I would try to get to her to pick her up, failing that, I would pick up her newspaper and shattered cup, failing that, I would bring napkins to let her sponge off, catch blood or tears if they were shed, failing that I would make sure she was okay to drive and offer to replace her coffee, failing that, maybe invite her to come back in and sit down, for just a moment, failing all of that: is exactly what I did.

I do not know who she was, but I want to say I am sorry for thinking about my computer sitting vulnerable in a public place when she lay vulnerable in a public thoroughfare.  It could have been worse.
But it was bad enough.