Last night about 9:45, Nikki and I were minding our own business (she studying, me messing around online while I should have been study) and I hear our neighbor out in the hallway talking to someone and then I hear a knock on our door. Now for some background, I have met this girl before. She lives next door to us. I think she is maybe late 20s or early 30s -ish and lives by herself. I have no idea what her name is but she is always really nice to me when I see her and even gave me a hug when I saw her on the street one day (oddly nice if you ask me). So back to the story, there is a knock on the door so I thought she was just letting us know something going on in the building or a meeting or something. So I answer it and say hi to her and immediately she says, "Can I come inside??"
I tell her that that's fine and she walks in before I could even get the words out of my mouth. At that point I realize that she has no shoes on and is wearing a TINY black, silky nightgown thing. So that was red flag #1 and then I realize as she walks past me that she smells a bit like alcohol (GREAT). She then proceeds to walk right into Nikki's room where Nikki was studying and plop herself down on her bed. Then came the random comments and questions one right after the other:
"WHO ARE YOU??"
"YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!"
"ARE YOU A VEGETARIAN?"
"DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND? MY BOSS JUST HIT ON ME. I THINK THAT'S BAD."
"IS THAT CENTRAL PARK? I LOVE CENTRAL PARK."
Then she turns to me and says, "Can I give you my phone number?" At this point I'm just like, Sure, whatever you want. So I went to get a piece of paper and no sooner had I gotten it that she came out of Nikki's room and declared, "I have to go now!!" and walks toward the door. However, the door proved to be a difficulty for her. She turned the lock and then couldn't figure out where the door to get out even was.
All of a sudden, as I'm trying to get the door open for her, she says, "Uh oh, Oh no..." and turns around toward the stove, proceeds to lean over the stove and PUKES all over the stove. And I mean like IN the stove, THREE TIMES -- ALOT. At that point it was VERY obvious that she had been drinking -- ALOT. And from the look of the white powdering substance that came out with it, I don't think alcohol was the only thing involved... All the while I'm watching this thinking,
Great, how the heck am I going to clean THAT up? and
Who the heck is this girl?? I don't even know her name!!" She then curls up on the floor in a puddle of her puke (which at this point is now on my kitchen rug) and starts saying over and over, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry. Go to the hospital." It was like she wasn't talking to me anymore. I asked her at that point if she wanted me to take her to the hospital or if there was anyone I could call for her. Both questions were answered with a strong NO.
She then got up, decided that it was time to go, I opened the door for her and she walked back to her apartment. I closed the door, turned to Nikki and collapsed on the couch, trying to figure out what just happened. This was all in the span of no more than 5 minutes so it really did seem like nothing happened at all...until you looked at the leftovers on the stove.
Upon suggestion from Nikki's mom, the nurse, we called 911 and half a dozen cops and EMS came out, to whom she answered the door NAKED, but that's a side note. As we were cleaning up, we got all the major stuff out of the way and went back to spray it down with bleach again. I sprayed a stream onto the stove and proceeded to watch the spot where I sprayed it turn a very odd shade of purple then brown. Whatever she was on has a strange reaction to bleach. At that point, we realized the full extent of how strung out she was. I have never seen anything like it. And I hope to never see anything like it again any time soon.
She ended up going to the hospital and we found a note under our door today with an apology from her with her phone number. I want to know if she is ok but I'm kind of leery at the same time. We're bound to see her again. She lives next door. I just hope that she is ok and is getting help. The whole experience has been with me all day and i can't seem to shake it. She almost brought me to tears last night just thinking of how desperate she was. I wanted to know what could possibly be going on with her life that she was brought to this point. I think that the whole situation just brought the reality of our need for Jesus that much closer to home (literally). Without Jesus, I could be that girl, searching for answers to a hard life and finding nothing that is satisfying except for a temporary high. Without Jesus, that is me... Oh Lord, come quickly. Redeem this broken place...
"Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD - how long? Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast LOVE.
I am weary with my mourning; every night I flood my bed with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping.
The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer."
Psalm 6: 2-4, 9
The nor'easter (what is that anyway???) came through last night and today and allegedly dumped TWENTY-TWO inches in central park (so says the weather channel). Too bad I had stuff to do and couldn't really enjoy it... Oh well, enjoy the pics anyway!
