At precisely
5.37pm on Tuesday 22nd July 2014, an unidentified body covered
up by a long black bag passed by me on a stretcher outside Edgeware
Road Station. I know the exact
time because at that exact time I looked at my watch perhaps to avoid
looking directly
at the body, or perhaps to subconsciously calculate the exact time of
this
person’s death. 10 minutes before this event occurred all I was thinking
of was
what I was going to be cooking for dinner that evening, or what would be
on the
tele that night, when loud sirens started to ring throughout the
station, I forgot these
thoughts instantaneously. These sirens were soon followed by a
worryingly
uneasy sounding voice:
‘Due to an
emergency situation please evacuate the station immediately’
As we all
grouped together and started heading towards the exit I watched the
expressions
on people’s faces change. Some concerned, some confused, and some were
certainly trying not to remember the tragic events that occurred at this
very same station just 9 years before, on 7/7. At this exact time no
one knew what to expect.
Upon leaving
the station in an orderly manor I made sure to stay close to the doors to avoid
having to push my way through the crowds when the time came to re-enter. I stood there
for about 10 minutes contemplating whether or not to attempt another route home
when a man eventually appeared. He told everyone to look away if they were squeamish
or likely to become traumatised as unfortunately a lady had lost of life this
evening, and she would be passing through here very soon.
What did he
just say? ‘A lady had lost her life?’. These words echoed in my thoughts
over
and over again. Finally understanding what had happened was one thing,
but now being given the identity of 'a lady' was quite another. Which
lady? What was she
doing? I considered the lack of emergency services at the station and
came to
the conclusion that she must of committed suicide, speculation I know
and
perhaps she had a heart attack but surely there would be at least one
ambulance
if this was the case.
The
Police led two men in black suits through the crowds.
As they pushed the stretcher along, the crowd fell silent as if to pay
their respects
to this person who was now just a shape covered up by the familiar looking black
bag. They placed her body in a bizarre looking grey vehicle and quickly
left.
We were then
able to return to the platform but I couldn’t shake the thoughts of what had
just happened off. What had become of
this woman to make her think that this was her only choice? What circumstances
had arisen before? What were her worries? What were her woes? How old was she? I
then started to think about her hobbies, her favourite foods, her job or what
kind of person she actually was.
On this her final
day, what clothes had she picked out? How did she style her hair? Did she know
that this day was to be her last? Had she planned it, or was it simply just an
accident. Just before it happened what might have been running through her mind? Was she too
thinking about dinner or what was on the tele that evening? I then
wondered if she would be remembered and who knew her, but obviously knew not
of what had just happened. Would they remember her? Would they care? I looked
at this form in front of me that I have so often seen in films and in
television programs in the past, and I tried to create an image of her in my
mind and think about the many names that she may have had. So, this is for you - 'the lady
that lost her life'. I will remember you, whoever it was, that you were.
22nd
July 2014 at approximately 5.20pm
