5 posters

An Old Man Died

Shale: ...is a Chamber Royal.; Join date : 2010-09-27
Location : Miami Beach
Posts : 9699
Rep : 219

Post n°1

An Old Man Died

by Shale Sat Nov 13, 2010 12:02 pm

An Old Man Died

I didn't really know him, never got his name. But he was a fixture in my neighborhood, always sitting outside his apartment building on Harding Avenue, just watching the world go by.

I often went by on my bike and we waved to each other for almost a decade now. Now and then he would be there when I was jogging and I would stop and talk. He was older than me, maybe not by much - two old men ragging on the world.

Once, a few months ago I saw him walking back from the store one block from his home. He motioned me over and asked me to take his groceries to his apartment. He was having a ruf time walking but got home and seemed alright.

For the past couple of weeks he wasn't there sitting by the sidewalk, an unusual amount of time not to see him. Last week while jogging I asked a neighbor of his if she knew where he was - in the hospital she said.

Today, as I ran by I saw two men working on his door. I asked and they said he died two days ago.

I'll miss his smile and wave.

CatEyes10736

CatEyes10736: …is a Power Member.; Join date : 2010-01-31
Location : Portland, Oregon
Posts : 2665
Rep : 126

Post n°2

Re: An Old Man Died

by CatEyes10736 Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:20 pm

That's too bad. Be sure to say a little prayer for him the next time you jog by.

When I was a tween, there was this middle aged couple that lived down the street from my parents who had a dog that they regularly walked. Quite often I'd see them either walking the dog together, or individually and I used to chat with them quite a bit. They were a lovely 40-50 something couple. Well when I go home to my mom's now, I on a semi regular basis still see him walking a dog (it's a different one, but the exact same breed so it looks like the other one) but I haven't seen his wife in forever. I smile and wave, he waves back. I'm wondering if his wife died, because I haven't seen the sight of her in over a decade.

Shale

Shale: ...is a Chamber Royal.; Join date : 2010-09-27
Location : Miami Beach
Posts : 9699
Rep : 219

Post n°3

His Name was Michael

by Shale Sat Nov 13, 2010 3:31 pm

Today I rode past his apartment building and saw some men out front. I asked about him and they told me his name was Michael and he had lived there for 14 years.

RedBedroom

RedBedroom: …is a Chamber DEITY.; Join date : 2010-02-18
Posts : 10696
Rep : 312

Post n°4

Re: An Old Man Died

by RedBedroom Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:11 pm

It is a funny thing that we don't necessarily need to know someone well to have their passing make us pause.

Marc™

Marc™: …is a Chamber DEITY.; Join date : 2010-01-30
Location : Michigan
Posts : 12006
Rep : 212

Post n°5

Re: An Old Man Died

by Marc™ Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:00 am

CatEyes10736 wrote:That's too bad. Be sure to say a little prayer for him the next time you jog by.

When I was a tween, there was this middle aged couple that lived down the street from my parents who had a dog that they regularly walked. Quite often I'd see them either walking the dog together, or individually and I used to chat with them quite a bit. They were a lovely 40-50 something couple. Well when I go home to my mom's now, I on a semi regular basis still see him walking a dog (it's a different one, but the exact same breed so it looks like the other one) but I haven't seen his wife in forever. I smile and wave, he waves back. I'm wondering if his wife died, because I haven't seen the sight of her in over a decade.

Sorta makes you curious about older people you once knew, but haven't seen in years....and if they're still alive. I think about my 3rd grade teacher. I don't know how old she was, but at the time she seemed "older"....maybe late 50s/early 60s. Twenty-three years later, I sometimes wonder if she's still alive.