A continuation from
https://steemit.com/life/@handsolo/big-decisions
During the seven weeks after the operation I managed to get a lot done. Initially, of course, there was about ten days of waiting for the wound to heal enough to have the stitches removed. Then I spent a week in Spain visiting a good friend, enjoying the warm weather and the freedom I now felt. Having gotten rid of the dead weight I was able to jump around like a kid and wonder at the joy I felt simply wearing a ‘T’ shirt.
Upon my return to England I threw myself into the work of finishing the final details of my house renovation. While the electrician finished off the downstairs lighting; I got busy in the garden, tidying the borders and even found the time to make three chairs and a bench from some large logs my tree surgeon friend had delivered. I put the finishing touches on the raised gravel pit barbeque and all was ready for my birthday party.
People started to arrive around lunchtime and by mid-afternoon the burgers were sizzling on the grill and a growing number of inebriated revellers were going mental on the bouncy castle. The Sumo tournament was a big hit with every bout ending in raucous laughter. As the sun went down I guided the twelfth car onto my front garden and welcomed the arrival of my mother. I could see there was someone in the front passenger seat but had no idea who it might be. I greeted my mum with a big hug then turned to see this beautiful girl stepping out of the car.
My mother introduced her as Aishah and we said hello. She had a London accent which I instantly liked, she came up to my shoulder, had long lustrous black hair and a sexy smile. I was a bit surprised that my mother had brought someone with her and it must have shown on my face because about a half hour later my mother took me to one side and asked me what I thought of Aishah. I said that I thought she looked nice but who was she?
My mother owns and operates a dog kennels and cattery and one day Aishah had turned up looking for work. After chatting for a while, mum got a good vibe so offered her work three days a week helping out with cleaning and dog walking. After getting to know each other a bit my mum had thought she was a nice girl for me and, uncharacteristically, had brought her to my birthday party in an act of matchmaking.
Aishah and I hit it off immediately, dancing and chatting the night away. By the next morning we were becoming friends and decided that we would like to see more of each other.
Over the weeks that followed we became very close and I would travel up to my mother’s house frequently to visit her. She was staying with her mother, taking a break from life in London. She said she worked in a nightclub in Soho and needed a break every few months. Looking back now I probably should have dug a little deeper but I was rapidly falling for this girl and any doubts there might have been were pushed firmly to the back of my mind.
By mid-October she had moved back to London and I had taken on a few new clients at work so we weren’t able to see each other so much. I missed her so jumped at the chance to visit her at the end of November. It was a fun couple of days; she had a Jack Russel called Sophie who we took for walks out by the Greenwich Observatory where she would tear off into the trees in search of something she had seen or heard. Aishah and I were always close together; she would often reach up to touch my face or brush some imagined mote off of my collar. Having spent so much of my life alone I found the attention exhilarating and knew I was falling in love.
On my last day there I asked if she would come visit me up North on the following weekend; a DJ friend of mine was putting on a show and I had guest passes for me plus one and I thought it would be fun for us.
My anticipation was building all week and by Friday I could barely concentrate at work so, finishing up my weekly reports early, I got out of the office at two and went home to smoke a nice fat joint. Her train arrived on time and I was on the platform waiting for her. I got a thrill as I watched her step down from the carriage and turn to look for me. The smile that lit up her face was all I needed to see just then and I knew we were going to be together for a good long time.
We showered and got ready for the night out, grabbing bites of our snacks as we did so. The conversation was light and there were kisses and many hugs. I was in such a good place; I could barely believe it.
The party was in full swing as we arrived fashionably late. The warm up DJ was doing a spot on job; the dancefloor was full. I introduced Aishah to my friends; there was much laughter and the customary insults directed at me, of course. Aishah fitted in perfectly. We hit the dancefloor.
The headline DJ had been playing for some time when Aishah complained of not feeling good and headed for the restrooms. I was a little concerned but had imbibed a few beers by this point so was not paying as much attention as I should have. Ten minutes later and she still had not returned. I went looking.
Walking towards the restrooms I glanced to my left and saw her pacing agitatedly outside on the sidewalk. WTF! I exited the bar and went straight to her. She was upset. She said she had stepped out for some fresh air but the bouncers wouldn’t let her back in. Not to worry I said, and we headed back to the door. The bouncers refused us entry. I was shocked and asked why. The one bouncer told me that my girl had gotten aggressive when she approached the door a few minutes before so that was that. I was confused by this; I had never seen an aggressive side to her. Although the beer inside me fuelled my frustration at the early end to our evening I didn’t push it with the bouncers. Turning away to hide my anger, I walked to the road and hailed a taxi.
The drive home was tense. She wasn’t up for talking and made no secret of the fact that she was angry. I was taken aback by this new behaviour and more than a little upset at the turn this night had taken. I didn’t want to let it go and continued to push her for answers. She told me to shut up and that we would talk at home. I realised it was futile to keep pushing so let it go. We were silent for the remainder of the taxi ride.
Upon arrival at home she went straight upstairs. I assumed she was going to the bathroom so went into the lounge to roll a joint. She had not come down by the time I was finished so up I went to look for her. She wasn’t in the bathroom or the two guest rooms so I headed up to my bedroom in the converted loft space. She wasn’t there either. Growing more concerned, I called out for her as I looked around the room and saw that one of the sky lights was open. Not sure what I was thinking, I looked out the window and was surprised to see her sitting, hunched over on the roof apex crying her eyes out.
I called for her to come back in but she ignored me. I continued to try to convince her but to no avail. Finally I said that if she didn’t come down I would be forced to call the fire brigade to carry her down. This did the trick and she began to descend the four foot of roof tile to the sky light. I reached out to hold her hand but before we could touch she slipped on the icy tiles. She called out my name as she disappeared over the edge and fell the twenty foot or so to the floor. I heard a sickening thud as she hit the wooden fence on the way down then there was silence.
I flew downstairs, instantly sober, grabbing a flashlight on the way. I rounded the corner of the house and saw her lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. She was conscious, barely, and whimpering, obviously in a great deal of pain. I ran back into the house, found a blanket and my phone then headed straight back outside. Calling the ambulance service as I knelt down beside her I placed the blanket over her and talked to her constantly to keep her awake. The ambulance arrived within a few minutes and after telling them what happened I stepped aside to let the paramedics do their thing. The ride to hospital was swift and in no time at all I found myself standing in a corridor looking through the wires of the small re-enforced glass panels in the large double doors as the emergency staff swarmed over her then a nurse closed the curtain and I was lost.
Everything had happened so quickly that I was unsure for a moment as to what I should do. It occurred to me that I should probably go to the waiting room and hold tight. Just as I turned to go a nurse opened one of the doors and asked me ‘the patient’s’ name. “Aishah” I said and saw as she wrote the name down incorrectly. I pointed out her mistake and she brushed me aside and returned behind the big double doors. I don’t know why the misspelt name bothered me so much but I felt myself becoming angry, I needed to calm down so headed to grab a coffee then go outside for a cigarette.
Entering the lobby, I saw three cops leaning against the vending machine and as I entered they looked at me. I knew instantly that they were here for me but had no idea why. As my caffeine hit poured into the paper cup the female officer asked me what had happened. I explained but she started to cross examine me and unfortunately I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to police. I explained the story clearly then, finishing my coffee and throwing the crushed paper cup into the garbage, I went to walk outside for a smoke. I was seriously worried about Aishah and didn’t need the third degree from these cops.
Walking slowly to the exit, in somewhat of a daze I was grabbed around my biceps from behind and lifted onto tiptoes. My stumpy arm dislocated immediately and I was frog marched painfully and bundled into the back of the police van. I was dumbstruck and in no small amount of pain. I cried out as I popped my shoulder back then curled up on the bench to wait for the pain to subside.
Very little was said at the police station. I was divested of my belt and shoe laces; my phone, keys and cash were placed in a brown paper bag, my name was written down then I was given a brown wool blanket that smelt funny and ushered to a cell. The clank as the lock slid home had the air of finality and I numbly sat back on the concrete slab that was to be my bed for the night.
I don’t remember falling asleep but at some point the next morning I woke. I was disoriented for a moment. With a sore head I tried to remember what had brought me to a cell. The fog cleared pretty quickly and I remembered every detail of the night before with absolute clarity. I was extremely worried about my girl and hammered on the cell door to speak with a custody officer.
The hatch opened with a slap and the officer’s chin and mouth could be seen as he said “she’s in a critical condition, I’d be worried if I were you, wife beater” then slammed the hatch closed. I was distraught. I must have beaten that door for a good hour but no cop came. Exhausted I sat back on the concrete and waited.
The rest of the day was spent worrying. Nightmarish fantasies manifested in my mind; I imagined what would happen if Aishah died, how could I cope with such a thing; what would happen to me? Would I go to prison? How could a simple night out end in such disaster? I went round in circles trying to think of ways I could have done things differently. The futility of this was completely lost on me as I turned the night over and over in my mind.
Through the opaque glass blocks that functioned as a window, I could see it was getting dark outside when the cell door suddenly opened and I was ordered to step out. I complied and was handcuffed to another big officer and escorted to an interview room. The cop who sat across from me was cold and blunt. My questioning look was met with a stony glare. He simply told me I should sign this form indicating that I had not been mistreated and I was free to go. I was confused. What? How? I hesitated with the pen in my hand, super pissed at the comments made by the other officer earlier that morning, and the distress they had caused. I said as much to the officer in front of me but he just stared blankly back at me. I knew it was pointless, even a little dangerous to anger the local police. Harassment cases were common topics of conversation at my local pub. I let it go, signed the form then walked out of the police station.
My mother and Aishah’s mother were sat in my mum’s Landrover in the parking lot and the front passenger door opened as I approached. I climbed wearily into the cab and listened to the Mum’s explain that she was conscious and asking for me; she had deep bruising on her side, two cracked ribs and a concussion. I was relieved but still worried and eager to be with her so it seemed to take forever to complete the five minute drive from the police station to the hospital.
I walked into her room and she looked at me then began to cry.
To be continued……