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Every Little Thing By Barbara Redcay As he’s closing my cab door, the driver informs me that the young woman told him that she wants to kill herself. Wow! Not what I expected. Friday Night—Working the Plan The automated female voice of the cab company tells me to “enter the time for pick up.” As the voice drones on with instructions, my finger hovers over the keypad of my cell phone. Hmmm. My flight to Boston leaves O’Hare at 9:20 a.m. Pick up at 7:00 a.m., no wait, plan it safe—6:45 a.m. That’s done. Lots of last minute items to clear off my desk at work. Getting home at 8:00 p.m. is not in the plan. Fortunately, I had started putting together what I would need for the trip earlier in the week. All the little details attended to—CDs for the drive from Boston to Maine, books to read, homework from the life coach, Tarot cards. The laundry was done, essentials packed, rental car agreement and boarding pass placed in a travel folder. The Friday night plan is to iron shirts and slacks and pack them in tissue paper. Although behind schedule, the plan is going well. Just add the last few toiletries in the morning and I’ll be ready for the cab at 6:45. Saturday Morning—The Best Laid Plan ... I’m up! I’m showered. I look out front to check for the cab at 6:35. Great—it’s there, but where’s the driver? I walk to the next room and look out the window where I see him talking to a young woman. It didn’t strike me as odd that the driver would bump into a friend on my sidewalk at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday. You see, I live across the street from Lake Michigan and joggers go by from 5:00 a.m. until midnight. But this young woman he was talking to wasn’t jogging. She was dressed in a long black coat and slacks and carrying a large handbag. Oh well, I go back to getting ready. But then little things in my plan seem to go awry. I had forgotten to put out Sam’s food for the cat sitter. My CDs for the trip are still in the car—run to the garage! My toiletries don’t fit into a quart size plastic bag, so I reprioritize. Where are my earrings? I look at my watch. Oh gosh, 7:00 a.m.! Phew, the cab is still there. I tap on the window. The cabbie turns from the young woman and waves to me. He meets me at the door to grab my bags. As I walk to the cab, I give a cheery “Good Morning” to the young woman, who turns and walks down the sidewalk away from the lake. The driver goes after her and speaks with her for a minute. As he’s closing my cab door, the driver informs me that the young woman told him that she wants to kill herself. Wow! Not what I expected. In my surprise, I tell him that I assumed she was a friend. I ask, “What can we do for her?” He responds with, “I called the police. They said they would be here right away. She knows they are coming and its okay with her.” I can tell he wants to wait for them. Of course, we will. I touch his arm and tell him what a good man he is. As he closes my door, a police car pulls up beside the young woman who is now about twenty feet away from us. A policeman gets out of his car and approaches her with respect and speaks to her in a caring voice. The cab driver walks slowly toward them as I get out of the cab. Quietly, the young woman begins talking to the policeman who is giving her all of his attention. My heart lifts as I watch them, knowing that she is being heard. In a caring gesture, the cab driver waves to her and starts back toward me. In answer to my own question of what we can do for her, I send love and light her way. A second police car pulls in front of our cab. The policeman asks the driver if he placed the call. He says,”You did the right thing to call us. We will get her the help she needs.’ The driver and I get into the cab. Again, I touch his arm and say, “you are a good man.” We introduce ourselves—he is Wilson. Wilson tells me that the young woman approached him as he was waiting by his cab. Her plan was to wade into the lake and just keep going. But then she saw him across the street and had the thought to go to him. As she was walking out of the water, she later told him that she asked herself “What am I doing?” Fortunately, she turned to this stranger—Wilson—and in him found a man of grace who listened and told her that her life was worth saving. As we pull away, I am so touched by the caring concern filling the space around this woman where just thirty minutes before, she was standing knee deep in Lake Michigan with the intention of ending her life. I am so grateful for all the little things that brought these men to her and their wisdom that will get her the help that she needs. On our drive to the airport, I reflect on the events that transpired so early in this day. What happened in the life of this woman that brought her to the Lake with such intent? A crying baby? An abusive husband? Bills that can’t be paid? Or just some little thing like burnt toast ... or every little thing? And what of these men—this cab driver, these policemen? What events brought them to this place ... at this time? Each of us makes plans. And on this morning, I am aware of being part of a greater plan in which each of us is exactly where we are supposed to be.
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