Blues and Twos.
Sometimes we have to record and comment on something because to witness it makes it real. I’ve done this before on this blog. I’ll carry on doing it. As always, these are my perceptions of a situation, witnessed in a glimpse as I drove past.
The ambulance is parked crookedly on the corner. The lights are flashing, the siren is silent. The car in front of it is a police patrol car.
A crowd of assorted uniforms exit the house at the end of the long, neat drive winding through the carefully cultivated flower borders. It’s a nice house in a nice neighbourhood.
The green clad paramedics wheel her out. She has a neck collar on and the dark stains of too much spilled blood are clear on them and her. One of them is holding her hand, in his other hand he holds a bag of fluids high, he is squeezing it as they run for the safety of the ambulance. They slam her inside and pull the doors shut. Both paramedics are in the back with her. The ambulance doesn’t pull out as I’d expect it to do.
Backtrack a few seconds to the crowd leaving the house.
The larger of the two police officers is male. He has the man in handcuffs and holds him by the upper arm. The man is trying to kick out at the stretcher and woman, despite being pulled away. He spits at her. The shorter police officer is female. She is running for the car, phone/radio close to her mouth as she delivers her words and gives her orders. She glances back at her colleague and flings open the door to allow him to push the man inside. They are not gentle.
The police car pulls away behind me, the siren comes on and I pull over to let them past. The ambulance still hasn’t moved. I have this sinking feeling that this is a bad thing.
I got home. There’s nothing on the local radio, nothing on the news. There was no crowd watching, no reporters, no-one saw. But I did. Whoever she is/was, whatever happened, I saw, I remember.
Two women killed each week in the UK by a partner or former partner……that’s a lot of women who disappear, their stories untold and unnoticed. Have you heard of the 104 Pairs of Shoes exhibition? (http://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/noticeboard/Shoes_exhibition)
Comment by Eilidh — February 17, 2007 @ 3:15 pm
That’s really sad.
Comment by dottyspots — February 17, 2007 @ 8:20 pm
I had to drive past there again today. Less than 24 hours later. There’s no crime tape. There was a bloke washing a car in the drive. I can’t be sure if it was the one in cuffs from yesterday.
As if nothing had happened.
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — February 18, 2007 @ 7:02 pm