Ok, so I’ve been avoiding posting this aforementioned police story…. not sure why other than it spooked me a bit and I knew it would probably take some time to write it completely out. But here goes:

On a quiet Sunday evening I had just put my clothes into the washer at the busy laundromat and began reading a stack of newspapers next to me on the bench while waiting for my clothes to clean. A petite woman in her late 30’s suddenly sat down next to me on top of my newspapers. (Mind you, the entire bench was empty and yet she sat down right next to me.) I told her she was on top of my papers and she got up as I moved the papers, but then proceeded to again sit down right next to me very, very closely. I thought this was odd, but continued with my reading.

She then asks to hold my hand. (!) Huh? I said that I would rather not. I didn’t want to be mean-spirited, but I didn’t really want to hold her hand either. She didn’t look strange or anything, just looked like a regular woman doing her laundry, but I still didn’t want to touch her hand. She then begged and whined and continued asking to hold my hand. I continued reading and the next thing I know she’s leaning against my shoulder. Ok, I don’t want to make a scene and I suppose it’s ok for her to lean. Well, leaning eventually led to wrapping one arm through my arm… then two arms through my arm… then one arm around my body… then two arms around my body… squeezing tightly. Now I realized that something must be wrong with her so I start trying to talk to her calmly and politely, asking her for her name and if she knew where she was and so on. I kept remembering Ellen Burstyn’s role in Requiem for a Dream and thinking about how if someone could have helped her early on maybe she could have avoided so much pain later on.

Well, to try and make a long, long, long story short. I eventually got up to put my clothes in the dryer while she tried holding on to me. I then took her outside and told her I needed to take her home. She lived two doors down from the laundromat and I walked her into her apartment building and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to leave without her, but she insisted on being with me, saying I was her only friend in the world and that no one else cared. (As much as I may understand that concern in my own life, I know not to attach myself to some stranger in a laundromat.) I finally left the apartment without her (only by continually promising that I would call her in one hour). I immediately called 911 (not sure who else to call, but not necessarily wanting to call the police on her) and told them the situation. The police were great and understood what I was telling them. I gave them the address and her phone number, as well as my name and phone number for further questions. They said they would send someone out.

I went back to the laundromat because I needed to get my clothes out of the dryer and take them home. Well, she showed up again and kept wanting to hold onto me and saying I was her only friend. I eventually took her back outside and had a continued long conversation with her need to go back home and my need to go to my home. Eventually, the police arrived (not too long after the call; I was impressed) and I motioned to them. They immediately seemed to understand that situation, even saying something like “It looks like we have a 910 going on here” or some number like that. I motioned to them that I was leaving and they went inside her apartment with her.

I feel bad that I called the police on her, but I wasn’t sure who else to call and I was hopeful that the police would be able to get her in touch with the social service agency that she so desperately needs. Maybe she forgot to take her medication; maybe she was missing; maybe someone was looking for her; maybe I was of some help. I don’t know. I hope that the police were able to help her. I never called her like I promised to; I didn’t feel like I should after all that because I didn’t think it was appropriate to do so. I haven’t seen her around since, although she does live in my neighborhood and two doors down from my laundromat. I just hope she’s ok.