I'll preface this by saying I am a horrible story teller and lack any grammatical skills, so I apologize in advance.
I was in San Diego around Halloween this year to visit my boyfriend. I had arrived during the week so he had to go to work. I decided to keep myself busy taking his dog on an adventure. We were gonna get treats, maybe a bully stick, say hi to other dogs and just have a grand time. I looked up a pet store within walking distance and we headed out.
My boyfriend hasn't trained his dog well and also used a retractable leash (don't get me started), so I wasn't moving my usual quick pace as I was trying to teach him leash manners while simultaneously figure out the worst invention known to man.
We're walking towards an overpass. It's 4 lanes with sidewalks on either side. On the sides of the sidewalk there are cement barriers with a metal fence on top, and very, very far below the overpass is a major highway.
I noticed there's an obviously homeless, possibly intoxicated man walking in front of me. Previous experiences living in a big city have made me not trust the general public, so I slowed down even more in the hope of avoiding an uncomfortable interaction.
We're about halfway across when I decide to stop. There are people walking towards us and with the sidewalk so narrow I was worried the pup would be rude and jump on them. As I'm waiting I watch as an SUV stops on the opposite side of the road. A woman gets out of the car and walks with intent to the sidewalk. She pulls herself up onto the cement barrier and has her both her hands on the metal fence as if she's trying to look down or pull herself over.
It was as if time stood still. My first thought was that she had dropped something. I think my brain just couldn't comprehend what was happening. I looked around and it seemed like everyone had disappeared. There weren't people walking by anymore. The previously busy street was empty. It was uncanny to say the least. I just knew something wasn't right here.
I couldn't just leave this woman because deep down I knew what she was trying to do. So, I yelled across to her and asked if she was okay. She said no. I scooped the dog up and ran across the street and asked her what was wrong. She told me she couldn't get over the fence. She told me how her marriage of many years had ended in divorce. She had lost her job and was going to lose her home. She told me she didn't want her family to help her, but she didn't want to be homeless either so she figured jumping was the best option.
The thing is, my cousin had jumped off a bridge a few months earlier in a suicide attempt. He survived, but with a severe traumatic brain injury. It was and still is a devastating experience. I told her about him and how we wish more than anything that he never would have done that and how I was sure her family would feel the same.
I hugged her and told her a little bit about my struggles and how things would get better. I tried to convince her to let me call someone for her or for her to take my number, but she declined. She got back in her car and drove away.
This interaction happened in maybe 5 minutes, but felt like an eternity. The whole time I was trying to figure out how I could get someone walking by to call the police so that she would get the help she needed. But it didn't work out that way.
I've told a few people this story mainly because I honestly can't believe it happened. You never expect to see a suicide attempt. The people I told called me a hero which I really dislike. I didn't tell the story for praise or attention.
I'm not a religious type, but I do believe something aligned that day to bring me to that woman in that exact moment. I doubt I'll ever know what happened to her, but in the off chance that she somehow happens to use reddit I just want her to know: You aren't a burden. You never were and never will be. Your family loves you and needs you here. I hope that our short interaction helped you to see that people care about you and you aren't alone. I wish I could have done more for you. Please keep living.