A Mother’s Son

Tonight on my way home from therapy, I was a block away from my house when I saw a woman cowering beside a trash can next to a fence.

I walked past her and then walked back. She seemed pretty out of it and like maybe she needed help. I asked her what was wrong.

“I just called the police,” she said. “My son started making threats against me in my own home and I just can’t take it anymore.”

She stumbled to her feet, losing a sandal in the process. She pushed the trash can out of the way and rang the doorbell of the dark house next to us.

“I don’t think anyone’s home,” I observed. “None of the lights are on.”

“I know she’s probably there,” the woman said. “I just need her to let me in until I can figure out what to do.”

I had no idea how to help. All I knew was that I had to do something. “Would you like me to stay with you until the police come?”

“Yes, please.” Her gratitude was palpable. She went and sat on the steps of another neighbor’s house and I stood in front of her so that if her son came out of her house he wouldn’t see her. It seemed to take the police forever to arrive. She called her daughter and was telling her all about the trouble. A guy came out of the next house over and sat down on his stoop to smoke. He asked me what was wrong and I told him that I was keeping her company as she waited for the police.

“I can’t go back in there,” she was saying. “Something really bad is going to happen if things keep going on this way. Just yesterday a daughter shot and killed her mother — blew her head off. I love him, but I am not going to let him hurt me! I don’t want them to take him away, he just got a new job. But I do want them to make sure he’s taking his medication.”

I stood there helpless, looking back over my shoulder every few minutes to make sure her son hadn’t come out of their house. Unhappy with the helplessness, I began to pray:

“Hail Mary, full of grace. Please set a shining band of angels around this woman to protect her. Please keep any harm from coming to her. Please take care of her. Please enfold her in your arms. As a mother yourself, you know what a mother feels and goes through. Please protect her.”

Eventually the police arrived and she walked over to them and started talking to them. When I saw all three officers walking outside with the son to talk to him, I went ahead and started walking home. There was a long, dark, inexplicable shadow over the moon. I shook my head to clear it and continued home. Home, where only the cat waited for me and no one ever threatened me.