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...In Which Anthony Sees a Deathmask...
Sep. 26th, 2005 10:57 amMy neighbor died this morning.
I'd overslept a bit, and had hit the snooze button for the third time, and was just drifting back to sleep, when I head screaming. It came loud, and shrill, and full of fear and sadness.
"Oh, no! Please, dear God, someone help! Help Me! No! No!"
I thought it was my grandmother crying out in her sleep, as she sometimes does when suffering from a nightmare. But it wasn't. It was coming from outside, from the neighbor's driveway, which is right next to my window. And it didn't stop.
I jumped up, found a pair of eye glasses that weren't broken, and opened up my bedroom door with a pop. I looked around the house for mom or grandma, who promptly stuck her head out the bathroom door, which also borders the driveway.
"That's Niecey!" Grandma's voice was stern and concerned, and knowing that it wasn't her, I ran out the front door to see what was going on. She hadn't stopped screaming, and in my neighborhood, that often means shooting.
I came outside, and Niecey was standing in the driveway, tears rolling down her eyes and a phone in her hand.
"Help! I can't wake up Pearl! I can't wake her up! I can't wake up Mom!"
I jumped over the banister into the grass about the same time that Bobbie--Pearl's sister--was walking up fast (she lives down the block). We both rushed by Niecey and into the open door of her house, and made our way quickly to the back room.
Pearl was in the bed, her hands lying on top of the covers, still up to her chest. Her mouth was slack, and she wasn't breathing.
Bobbie and I went up quickly and tried to find a pulse. Nothing. Her arms were cold, but her neck was still warm. We yelled her name, shook her. Nothing I pinched her hard on the arm, but she didn't react, and her skin didn't snap back. Bobbie and I pulled her eyes open, just to be sure, but her pupils didn't react, and her eyes were dry, and glazed.
I think by that point one of the other neighbors and my grandma had made it into the room. Niecey was walking about the house, screaming, crying.
The paramedics had shown up, and calmly made their way into the room. We gave them space to look her over, but the first guy in already suspected, I think. I made eye contact with him, shook my head. He nodded.
I went and found Niecey, hugged her. I think She knew already, before she had even called 9-1-1. It hadn't hit her yet.
The lead paramedic came out and spoke to Bobbie and another neighbor, Dollie, who had been there with us. Said she was gone, and that she'd probably been dead for only a couple of hours now, but he couldn't know for certain. But she had died peacefully in her sleep.
I left Niecey to talk to the Paramedics, as they'd needed to talk to her. Left the growing crowd of neighbors, and family who were already there. Went back to the house, hugged my grandmother, who was crying, hugged my mom and went to the bathroom.
I looked in the mirror, not realizing I'd been crying. Washed my face, then made a couple of calls, and said a little prayer. For Pearl, for my family and for myself.
Mom, Grandma and Grandpa moved into what was then a little pink house in 1968. And Pearl and her teenage daughters, Jackie and Sharon (aka Niecey) were there.
I've known Pearl my whole life, played in her backyard with her grandchildren and nephews, eaten her food, and said hello to her just about every day of my adult, working life. It was Pearl and Niecey who came to get me when my grandfather had his heart attack. Pearl who has brought me back random pieces of mail that got mixed up, kept an eye out on our house, and stuck around time and again when something was going on for someone in the neighborhood. Sure, there was tension sometimes between neighbors, but she's been a good neighbor.
And she died this morning.
I'd overslept a bit, and had hit the snooze button for the third time, and was just drifting back to sleep, when I head screaming. It came loud, and shrill, and full of fear and sadness.
"Oh, no! Please, dear God, someone help! Help Me! No! No!"
I thought it was my grandmother crying out in her sleep, as she sometimes does when suffering from a nightmare. But it wasn't. It was coming from outside, from the neighbor's driveway, which is right next to my window. And it didn't stop.
I jumped up, found a pair of eye glasses that weren't broken, and opened up my bedroom door with a pop. I looked around the house for mom or grandma, who promptly stuck her head out the bathroom door, which also borders the driveway.
"That's Niecey!" Grandma's voice was stern and concerned, and knowing that it wasn't her, I ran out the front door to see what was going on. She hadn't stopped screaming, and in my neighborhood, that often means shooting.
I came outside, and Niecey was standing in the driveway, tears rolling down her eyes and a phone in her hand.
"Help! I can't wake up Pearl! I can't wake her up! I can't wake up Mom!"
I jumped over the banister into the grass about the same time that Bobbie--Pearl's sister--was walking up fast (she lives down the block). We both rushed by Niecey and into the open door of her house, and made our way quickly to the back room.
Pearl was in the bed, her hands lying on top of the covers, still up to her chest. Her mouth was slack, and she wasn't breathing.
Bobbie and I went up quickly and tried to find a pulse. Nothing. Her arms were cold, but her neck was still warm. We yelled her name, shook her. Nothing I pinched her hard on the arm, but she didn't react, and her skin didn't snap back. Bobbie and I pulled her eyes open, just to be sure, but her pupils didn't react, and her eyes were dry, and glazed.
I think by that point one of the other neighbors and my grandma had made it into the room. Niecey was walking about the house, screaming, crying.
The paramedics had shown up, and calmly made their way into the room. We gave them space to look her over, but the first guy in already suspected, I think. I made eye contact with him, shook my head. He nodded.
I went and found Niecey, hugged her. I think She knew already, before she had even called 9-1-1. It hadn't hit her yet.
The lead paramedic came out and spoke to Bobbie and another neighbor, Dollie, who had been there with us. Said she was gone, and that she'd probably been dead for only a couple of hours now, but he couldn't know for certain. But she had died peacefully in her sleep.
I left Niecey to talk to the Paramedics, as they'd needed to talk to her. Left the growing crowd of neighbors, and family who were already there. Went back to the house, hugged my grandmother, who was crying, hugged my mom and went to the bathroom.
I looked in the mirror, not realizing I'd been crying. Washed my face, then made a couple of calls, and said a little prayer. For Pearl, for my family and for myself.
Mom, Grandma and Grandpa moved into what was then a little pink house in 1968. And Pearl and her teenage daughters, Jackie and Sharon (aka Niecey) were there.
I've known Pearl my whole life, played in her backyard with her grandchildren and nephews, eaten her food, and said hello to her just about every day of my adult, working life. It was Pearl and Niecey who came to get me when my grandfather had his heart attack. Pearl who has brought me back random pieces of mail that got mixed up, kept an eye out on our house, and stuck around time and again when something was going on for someone in the neighborhood. Sure, there was tension sometimes between neighbors, but she's been a good neighbor.
And she died this morning.
