The photo looks like it could be a slightly romantic, if a little dangerous, setting as a boy and girl sit perched on a beam.
But the reality is much grimmer.
Michal Klein exited the subway in New York’s Broadway/Lafayette station. She made a beeline for the steps leaving the station when she saw a bit of commotion.
She looked over to find a boy sitting on a beam about twenty feet above the dense, hard concrete floor of the subway station. In his arms, he held a young girl who appeared to be laughing at first, but Michal soon discovered that was not a joy the girl expressed.
She was crying quite hysterically.
Michal looked below and saw a woman standing on the platform with a very concerned look shaping her face. She walked down to her and asked what was the deal with the youngsters on the beam above.
The woman informed Michal that the young girl climbed up there and could be heard making suicidal threats. The boy took it upon himself to help her.
He climbed right up there with her, carefully scooted down the beam and sat next to her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Michal is glad for the boy’s bravery, but she said she isn’t sure she could have done the same. His human decency and compassion is rare anywhere, let alone the dark subways of New York City.
“He actually cared enough, whoever he was, to help her. A lot of people seemed to be like, ‘Oh, it’s New York,’ and kept walking,” she said.
Sadly, you don’t have to be in New York for people to keep walking. It seems all too common to have a “not my problem” mentality but you never know that the slightest touch could do to make or break someone’s day.
Though no one knows who the boy is, it is certain that he is a great hero in his own right. He put his own safety aside to potentially save the life of another, or at least, he showed the world that it’s not weakness to show compassion.
The girl was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
The New York Police said that in situations like this one, you really should call 911 instead of taking things into your own hands. I think we can all be thankful for this youngsters actions regardless.
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