Yesterday was a weird day. I had a long day at work planned- lots of things to get done. I almost always bring lunch so that it is cheaper and healthier than buying something downtown, so I didn't really have any reason to leave the office.
By about 2pm my hips were sore, I was hungry (needed more lunch, I guess) and I had a headache. Lately I've been headache prone- which I have read is common so I generally ignore them and drink more water. Around 2:30 I got excessively annoyed at myself and decided to run some quick errands downtown to clear my head, exercise my legs and hips, and get a second lunch on the go. On the way back from the bank to the place I was going to eat lunch, I was lost in thought (headache had finally lifted) walking on the sidewalk when I heard a bloodcurdling scream. I looked up and saw, about 50 feet away from me, that a bicyclist had been hit by an SUV and thrown about 20 feet across the street. People rushed in to help and before I could do anything, passerbys had already called 911, stopped traffic, and were keeping the poor injured bicyclist calm and still.
With nothing left to do and the distinct feeling that I'd probably be getting in the way if I tried to help, I simply (cautiously) crossed the street. I was less than a half a block away when the ambulance pulled up with a fire truck and a police car. I took a few deep breaths and went to get my second lunch. I had been totally stunned into silence, and then the nice girl at the counter asked me how my day was going I blurted out the whole thing and almost started crying. She was sympathetic and said nice things like, "Well I'm sure that they are doing everything they can to help that person... how terrible for everyone...(awkward pause)... what can I make for you?"
I ate my second lunch at the office and settled back into work. My hips felt better after the walk but honestly I could not concentrate for the rest of the day. Just before I was leaving my sister called with a wonderful piece of news.
She has learned the name of the ruffly-garter-belt thing that people put on infant girl's heads. This thing is a terrible invention, in my opinion, and anyone who feels like their daughter, dressed in a pink dress, needs to look MORE feminine by putting a lacey garter belt on their head is someone that I definitely cannot relate to.
It is know as a "Fruffle." I think this is short for forehead-ruffle. I want to start a campaign against fruffles- they are hideous.
My hips feel better today. I don't know if the bicyclist is OK- they haven't reported on the accident in the news. It is hard to get the images out of my head of that bike crushed under the tire of the SUV, the bicyclist crumpled on the ground, everyone running into the intersection to try to help. And I can't help but feel sorry for the woman that was driving the SUV, either. She was in tears and everyone was ignoring her. Even if it was her fault- it is not like she did it on purpose. It is a high price to pay for a moment of inattention or stupidity.
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