So here's the story left untold in my last post re. Amber. About two years ago I left work and started driving around the front of the Uturn building to go home. As I passed by the building I saw Amber staggering up the sidewalk and into (literally) the front door. My years as a youthworker and the thousands of dollars I spent getting my counselling degree helped me see that something was up. I pulled my car over and went up to Amber's apt where I met her in the hall. She was indeed severely under the influence. She was very happy to see me but not so happy after I suggested that she was in no shape to go out. I insisted that I make her some supper and I managed to find a package of wieners in the fridge and prepared them as to her request: boiled, with a side of French's mustard, no bun. After she ate and I wiped off the excess mustard off her face I told her to go to bed and sleep off whatever high she was on.
"Yep, absolutely...", she slurred.
I walked out of the apartment, unconvinced that she was actually capable of keeping the resolution she had just made with me. 5 seconds later my hunch was confirmed and Amber was walking out of her apartment door.
"Where do you think you're going?", I queried.
"C'mon Wayne, I was just going for a walk."
I turned her around and guided her back in her door and watched her take off her vinyl, leather look jacket. As she wandered to her bedroom I exited again, waited for 5 seconds and re-entered the apartment finding Amber putting her jacket back on.
"Soooo, whatcha doing?", I asked.
"Going to bed."
"You're putting your jacket on."
Incredulous, Amber snapped at me, "Yeah, Wayne. That's what I like to do. I sleep like that sometimes."
I sighed and told her that she needed to stay in her apartment or else I would have to phone the police. As I exited her apartment once again I quickly got on my cell to see if I was just throwing a bluff up. I found out that the Crisis Stabilization Unit was full, and the Centre for Adult Psychiatry didn't do intakes with people under the influence. Amber wandered out again.
"Amber, you're not leaving the building!", I scolded and shuffled her back into the apartment.
"Fine!" She yelled at me and walked to her bedroom where she changed her clothes and came out. "Happy now?!?"
It's 6:30 and I've made supper for a high, drunk lady and wiped mustard off of her face while trying to convince her to stay in her apartment for the last hour which is akin to arguing with Laurel and Hardy about "Who's on First." Yes, I am ecstatic.
I leave the apartment and stand in the hallway. 5, 10, 30 seconds rolls by and I'm still alone. A minute or two more passes and still no Amber and no sounds from the inside to suggest she is making any plans on trying to cross the threshold of her apartment. I sigh in relief before realizing that I forgot to grab her prescription meds that were on her stove. Shoot, I should really take those as a precaution.
I walked into her apartment and saw no one. Excellent. I walked over to the kitchen area and spotted said drugs and grabbed them, stealthily moving to get out while the gettin' was good, feeling like it's been a job well done. I stopped just before leaving and then realized that it was soooooooo very quiet in that apartment. Could she have passed out that quickly? I thought it would be good practice to checking on her. I knocked quietly on the door; "Amber. Amber?"
I turned the door knob and cautiously peeked in. Her mattress on the floor came into view, and then some blanket, a pillow, and the end of the mattress. There was no Amber in the bed. I checked the closet. No Amber in the closet. I checked the bathroom and the maintenance room. No Amber anywhere. I stood in the middle of the bedroom with my hands on my hips slowly turning around trying to figure out if perhaps I was drunk or high because clearly there was no Amber where I thought there really should be an Amber.
Then I saw the open window with the screen removed. Amber's apartment at that time was on the top floor which would have made it just over the height of two stories or about 25ft. 'Not really', I thought to myself. I slowly walked over to the window and slowly peered out the window expecting to see a broken Amber sprawled out in the parking lot. I looked out and saw nothing but the snowbank beneath her window. It was March and immediately under Amber's window was a small snowbank, a motorcycle in the snow, a snow blower and the large support for the deck above. As I looked into the snow bank I could see the imprints of two hands and two feet right smack dab in the middle of all those obstacles. The footprints were rather close together and the distinctive hand prints were more spread out at 45 degree angles of the foot prints. Amber had done the Frogger and made a run for it.
I couldn't believe it. After calling the police, driving around for 30 minutes and calling my supervisor it was suggested that I go home and let the police find her. I thought before I would head home I would drive up 18th st, arguably the busiest street in Brandon and a lousy choice for anyone trying to keep away from prying eyes. Well, anyone straight that is.
So there she was, staggering down 18th st on the sidewalk with her jacket hanging half off her shoulder. I drove past her and pulled into a business half a block ahead of her in order to cut her off. As I started walking towards her a Manitoba Hydro truck pulled over on the street and slowed down beside Amber. Amber took a hard left, walked through the snowbank, opened the passenger door and sat down in the truck. It look choreographed it was so perfect. I jogged up to the truck, waving my arms at the driver and walked over to the driver side window.
"Do you know her?", I asked.
The driver was wide eyed. "No, no,no. She just looked like she was in bad shape and I wanted to make sure she was ok."
"I see. Well, I know her and I'll take care of her. Amber, C'mon, let's go."
"Ahhhhh, Wayne. You're no fun!", she whined slumping her head down like a 4 year old being told to stop eating chalk.
I managed to get Amber into my car and we drove to the Emergency Room as a precaution where she was checked out and deemed healthy enough to leave. That didn't go as smoothly as it sounds, but really, you get the picture of my evening already. There's no need to make this any longer than it already is.
As we drove back to the apartment I asked her if she remembered jumping out the window.
"I jumped out the window? Really?"
"Yes", I said. "Really."
"Woah!! I did that! I f***ing did that. I own that s***! I own that!"
Sigh. Yep, I couldn't argue with that I suppose. No one in their right mind would have made that jump and I don't think anyone could have jumped a second time without seriously hurting themselves.
We headed back to the apartment where we bumped into another tenant who was Amber's friend, ordered some pizza and sat in Amber's apartment. By this time Amber was coming off the high quickly and was becoming coherent again. We chatted about choices, good and bad and how concerned I was for her. Manitoba Hydro buddy seemed like a nice enough guy. But don't fool yourself, there are too many opportunistic individuals in the nice city of Brandon who would play the role of vulture in seeing someone like Amber that night. This evening I was around and quite frankly it was just a matter of good timing that I saw her kiss the front door with her drunken face when I did.
Now that Amber is back in Uturn we don't talk about that evening often but when it comes up, Amber laughs a hearty laugh. And I laugh with her because it truly was a special night. You either laugh or you're going to cry.
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