A Neighbors Passing

I wrote this, thought you'd like it passed on to you.


A Neighbors Passing

I worked all night, worked hard as usual. I decided to go get my license plates renewed since I was a few days late, and then go spend time with my step-father. After having worked 11:30pm to 7:30am, then going out directly to the Tag office, leaving there around 8:30am and going to my parents house, I stayed there until around 12:30pm but was so tired that I decided to come home.

When I pulled into the apartment complex and parked my car I notice two Police cruisers and thought how odd it was to see patrol cars at my building since the two buildings on my side of the road never had any kind of trouble that would call a Police Officer, it was always the other eight buildings that had some sort of trouble.

One Officer left and the other was standing next to my neighbor's door. I thought how odd this was as I watched him communicating with dispatch on his radio. Then a lady I didn't know came over to talk to the Police Officer and I noticed they seemed to hover at my neighbors door. Once I set down my books and backpack inside while leaving the front door open, I couldn't help but overhear the interaction between the Police Officer and this lady. It was in reference to my neighbor and the fact that he had passed away. I was so shocked.

You see, this little old man has been my neighbor for the last six years. Lyle has lived in this apartment complex for thirty years. That's kind of hard to fathom that a little old man has lived in one place for thirty years, since I am thirty-four years old myself, and had my thirty-fourth Birthday not two weeks ago. I really didn't know Lyle all that well. We always passed each other at the mailbox or when I was in a hurry on the way out the door to one of my two or three jobs, or on the way to Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts, or even on the way to a friends house or whatever.

You see, the title of this post being "A Neighbors Passing" isn't because of Lyle passing away but because "A Neighbors Passing", when you pass a neighbor and say hello and how are you, you really don't seem to think much of it. Your neighbor will always be there, won't he or she? For some unknown reason this hit me extremely hard and I couldn't think of why exactly. I got all choked up, crying my eyes out almost more than when my great-grandmother passed away when I was twelve.

I went to my apartment complex office and paid the rent and asked what time Lyle had passed away. Bob, the apartment complex manager told me they think he passed away Friday night. How sad is it that here I am running my butt off to get out the door all the time to go to work, to come home, get a shower, take a nap, and go right back to work, and not even notice a man living next to me hadn't picked up the last three days newspapers. I really thought nothing of it. Lyle usually didn't take the paper in until the end of the day because he's old and had trouble getting around.

When I heard that he had passed away three days ago, I left the apartment complex office stunned. I went back to my apartment. There had to be something I could do for this sweet little old man. I looked around my apartment. I'm not rich but I spotted the huge pickle jar that I constantly fill with pennies.

I walked back to the apartment complex office and walked in to see maybe eight people all crowded in there. I set the huge jar that was almost full of pennies down on the apartment complex office manager's desk and said I wanted it to go to Lyle for a collection, for flowers for the family or whatever and turned around, but before I got to the door, Bob called to me. Bob told me that Lyle didn't have any surviving family. Again, I was stunned. He saw how choked up I was though and said he'd give the money to Lyle's estate.

I walked back to my apartment, stunned, in tears, choking back the bile from trying not to throw up. I don't know why this little old man's passing away affected me like it has, but it did and I had to write this here.

It's funny you know. I made this forum to help people. To help people who might not be able to help themselves. Then, hearing a story from an online friend months ago, I created this particular forum area for grieving people.

Not once did I ever think I would post something about grief except as a comment to someone else who was grieving to try to help them. I guess I found out here today, that even those who try to help people will themselves sometimes find an area where they can not only contribute but return to in order to help themselves.

Apartment B-4, next to Lyle's apartment.

www.experiencedlife.com

[edit on 2-7-2007 by SpartanKingLeonidas]