reached up

By "reach up", do you mean "come closer" or sometimes "stand up"? In this case, it seems to be "come closer".

ex).I was on my lunch break when a homelss lady came walking toward me. She was yelling and begging everyone who walked past her for change. My instant reaction was fear...to hope she wouldn't come near me, but she did. I was on the phone and when she came over yelling, I said, "I'm on the phone" in the nicest way I could. She walked away, mumbling, "I'm annoying you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." And she turned the corner.
Normally, I would feel indifferent, but something in me couldn't rest. Without another thought, I looked in my wallet for the change I had. It was just dimes and pennies, but I found a few and was going to give them to her. Suddenly, something amazing happened. I started searching through my entire purse for ALL of the change I could possibly find to give.
..She looked at me and said, "Will you touch my face?" And I did. I reached up and put my hand on her cheeck and she started to cry. She was still and calm, and it sent a shock through me that I can't really explain....

g1-10.46

My first thought was that the writer was lying or sitting down and therefore had to reach upwards with his hand to touch her face. Although they could be standing face-to-face and he could still be said to reach up to her face, needing to raise his arm from his side.

However, I looked up the passage and the writer seems to be a little confused. At first he was sitting at a cafe table when the woman came along and he asked her to leave him alone. She left him and "turned the corner". Then he says that he "got up and walked towards this lady…" and:
She looked at me and said, "Will you touch my face?" And for some reason, I did. I reached up and put my hand on her cheek and she started to cry.
But then he writes:
Right there, on the corner with people walking all around, I sat there for a few brief moments with my hand on her cheek.
So he says that he stood up and walked over to her, around the corner presumably, and then says that he was still sitting down. Confusing!

not a teacher

JMurray said:

My first thought was that the writer was lying or sitting down and therefore had to reach upwards with his hand to touch her face. However they could be standing face-to-face and he could still be said to reach up to her face, needing to raise his arm from his side.

However, I looked up the passage and the writer seems to be a little confused. At first he was sitting at a cafe table when the woman came along and he asked her to leave him alone. She left him and "turned the corner". Then he says that he "got up and walked towards this lady…" and:
She looked at me and said, "Will you touch my face?" And for some reason, I did. I reached up and put my hand on her cheek and she started to cry.
But then he writes:
Right there, on the corner with people walking all around, I sat there for a few brief moments with my hand on her cheek.
So he says that he stood up and walked over to her, around the corner presumably, and then says that he was still sitting down. Confusing!

not a teacher

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JMurray, where are you getting the contextual background for the comment? There is nothing in the original post that suggests anyone was seated! :?:

@amigos4
Here's the link:
http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?op=print&sid=11242

JMurray said:

@amigos4
Here's the link:
http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?op=print&sid=11242

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I am impressed! How did you find the URL for this post?

amigos4: I wanted more context so I Googled: "She looked at me and said, "Will you touch my face?".
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

JMurray said:

amigos4: I wanted more context so I Googled: "She looked at me and said, "Will you touch my face?".
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Click to expand...

When was the last time a woman looked at you and said: "Will you touch my face?" ;-):lol: It's kind of romantic, JMurray! :up: