othelladub's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- not the best follow-up to a beautiful entry Yesterday I saw a dead man. I was at work, and a woman called, asking to be transferred to a room. I tranferred her, but she called back, asking to be connected to the room again. She called back 20 minutes later. She asked me to check the room. "This might sound strange," she said, "but we're worried about him." She explained that his girlfriend had broken up with him recently. And that he'd told her that he would always love her. In case you don't know, I work in a hotel. I went upstairs to check the room. ... There was a "do not disturb" sign on the door. I think I knocked. I used the master key eventually, and opened the door. Walking in, I saw an older man, 60ish, lying on the bed. There was no movement. I spoke. Still no response. I was standing four to five feet away (at least) - and I couldn't see any sign of life. I looked at his chest, then his stomach. No movement. I looked up at his face. No recognition. His jaw was agape. There was a note on the table, with "Next of Kin" written at the top. I left the room, walked downstairs, and dialed 911. Plenty of things happened after that, but nothing that really changed anything. The guy's still dead. He still took his own life. I still don't understand why. I hope he's found some sense of peace. I wish that people didn't feel like that was the only way. I don't know the whole story. I really don't know anything about this man's life. I don't think I ever saw him in the hotel when he was alive. I think that - for me - that's not an option. I know that I'm going to die anyway. I prefer not knowing when or how. ... There is a god. and belief in one doesn't preclude intelligence, integrity, or compassion.
9:17 p.m. - 2002-01-09 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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