None of these predetermined pleasantries were followed when I met Mr. William (aka Billy) Elmor.
I was just returning from the gym about 2 miles from our apartment where I decided to go for a run. It was 42 degrees outside and for someone who is all too quickly becoming adjusted to the Floridian weather...It was just too damn cold to run outside. The trip home takes me through downtown Clearwater, which happens to be where I met Billy. It's not everyday that I see someone so interesting that it makes me pull my car over to the side of the road and walk out in front of traffic to meet them.
No, Billy wasn't selling ice cream or giving away free pizza coupons; something I would totally run out into traffic for any day. Billy was lying on his back in the middle of the busy road trying to stand himself up. Try as he may, he wasn't doing a very good job. Instead of rolling to his side, getting into the crawling position and eventually standing up as I believe most people would, Billy apparently thought he had magical strings attached to his upper body. Numerous times he tried to get up by violently thrusting his upper body towards the sky almost as if he believed the magical strings would eventually pull him the rest of the way if tried hard enough. Unfortunately he was wearing a shabby, torn backpack that seemed to be filled with heavy objects and every time he would thrust himself into the air, he would fall back and seesaw over it coming millimeters from hitting his head on the pavement.
When I arrived, another man had reached him moments before and together we grabbed Billy by the arms and dragged him to the edge of the sidewalk out of the traffic which was still flowing dangerously close to him. On first inspection after we set him down, I thought he had been hit by a car. His right hand was torn apart and bloody, there were dark blood stains contrasting his thin faded black jacket and his bottom lip was split open and somewhat swollen. He was surely a homeless man by the condition of his clothing/hygiene and the packs of belongings that he was also carrying. I asked him what had happened and he replied in a very matter of fact tone (as if he hadn't just been flopping around in the middle of the road like the weird uncle that can't dance but always does the fish at family weddings) "It's an equilibrium thing. You people wouldn't understand, I got a problem with my inner ear!"
I then asked him his name and he gazed at me for a few seconds as if he didn't trust me and then cautiously said, "Billy." He then repeated his inner ear statement and offered to shake the other mans hand. The other man said, "I don't want to offend you, but your covered in blood." Billy was silent for a few moments and then looked at me and said, "Who are you?" with an overly inquisitive look on his face. I told him my name and about that time he decided to try and get up again. He attempted his awkward thrusting again and finally managed to get himself off the ground.
Standing but very wobbly, he started to walk away just as a police car pulled up. (A women had stopped and called 911 while me and the other man were helping Billy off the street.) The officer walked up to Billy and said, "Let me guess, William Elmore?" Billy hesitated again for a few moments, obviously contemplating whether he should deny knowing who this William Elmore person is. Billy finally reached a decision, broke into a huge grin and said, "Yup, that's me."
The officer asked him if he had been drinking again and at this point I made my escape back to the car.
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