theworkerb
Active Member
Top man. The world would be a better place if more people were caring/considerateYesterday evening I was in the kitchen preparing tea for me and Mrs.B, who was on her way home from work, when the door bell rang. My door bell has a mind of its own, numerous times it rings but nobody is there and I’m convinced it’s my late father who’s come back to torment me.
Regardless of this I decided to answer the door just in case it was Mrs.B who couldn’t open the door for whatever reason. If it was and I didn’t it would be an evening of ‘picture no sound’.
Stood at the door was my elderly neighbour who was in a confused state. He asked whether he could borrow my phone because he was trying to contact members of his family but his phone wasn’t connecting.
He was clearly upset and I managed to establish that he was unable to wake his wife up who had been sleeping. Fearing the worst I cancelled events in the kitchen and accompanied him home to the bedroom where his wife was, sadly my fears were true and she had passed away.
I then had the unpleasant task of sitting him down in the lounge and explaining that his wife had died. I think deep inside he already knew but initially and understandably he didn’t want to accept it. Obviously he was devastated and embraced me, which is something I never did with my own father under any circumstances. He held his grip until he managed to compose himself and then I sat him down and told him what needed to be done with regards reporting her death.
Ambulance and Police arrived shortly afterwards and did what they normally do under such circumstances. During the process i discovered more about my neighbour and his wife ie. how and where they first met, where and when they bought their first house. It turned out that they had been a couple for 66 years. To me 66 years is a mile stone I won’t reach and I felt sorry for him in that all he has left now are memories.
I do worry that his wife’s passing will have a detrimental effect on his health. He has family who live some distance away but me and Mrs.B will keep an eye on him to make sure he is ok.
I suppose the purpose of the post is just to get the events of yesterday evening off my chest and post them on an anonymous bb where I don’t know anybody personally and nobody knows me apart from my slightly tongue in cheeky posting history.
Not everybody has a friendly relationship with their neighbour and I feel a little contentment in that I was able to offer some assistance to someone in need.
Apologies for the rather somber post.
