The strange woman on the ledge
Date: April 2021. Content warning: Incomplete story

It's a cool spring night. I'm walking on the Arbat street in Moscow. The street is only for pedestrians and it's paved with tiny stones. There's yellow and white lighting, some still lingering from New Year's Eve and Christmas. There are no tourists because currently we're in a global pandemic. The street is full of local muscovites here to enjoy their Sunday. I can see couples, sisters showing Moscow to their younger siblings, groups of friends.

As I'm walking, I take a look around casually. I notice the shops, I wonder if I should check out some books.
Someone taps on my shoulder. It's the girl I made eye contact with less than a minute ago. She was standing alone behind me when I had seen her.
Thinking she might be selling something I just say 'nyet nyet'. I speak very little Russian. She starts speaking to me in Russian. She's fumbling a lot. She grabs the lapel of her coat tightly as she speaks. Her eyes look watery and she looks scared.
When it seems like she's asked me a question, I let her know that I don't speak Russian. Knowing that she cannot explain to me in English what she is about to explain, she grabs my wrist and walks me towards the nearest bench. I'm slightly taken aback, I tighten my hand around my wallet which is in my inner coat pocket.
She sits me down, pulls out her phone and with shaking fingers types into a translator app. After a minute she hands me her phone. It reads, "I left my home today because I didn't know what to do, I'm really at the end of the road. I was thinking about ending it all and I was looking for any meaning. I saw your back while you walked and I said to myself, if you turn back and look at me I will trust you completely. You turned back at the exact moment."

I read it three times. I look at her again. She seems genuine. I can't believe it. I hadn't even done it very consciously. I had just randomly turned back and looked at the street and happened to make eye contact with her accidently.
I type in, "I don't know what to say. I think it was only a coincidence. But I am here for you regardless".
I have a tendency to offer my deepest consideration to someone in a bad place.
"Can we talk inside?" She speaks to me in English.
I look at her for a few seconds.
"Yes, sure." I reply.