esrosedotblog

This is a great true story told by a short story writer.

That means that he has it almost exactly right.

Drama Unfolds at my Bus Stop

I have had a few brushes with anonymous or accidental death.

The part that he has right is the realization that it is not him who died. That unlike the people around, he did the right thing. That when his little part of the drama is over, he is unable to walk off the stage immediately. The "director" or "editor", a cop, tells him to leave. His job is done. Period.

He also does not get to learn the end of the story. It is more like, I guess, being told to leave the theater as well and not to come back.

A neighbor died across the road when we lived in MA. The wife called. I knew he was dead the moment I heard her voice.

He had died while on the toilet. Not unusual, actually. Be careful.

And he had fallen off.

He was on his side alongside the hopper.

Dead.

You know. Like this guy, you can do the stuff with the pulse and breathing and shit but it is futile.

Emergency people and cops and doctors who may arrive on the scene any minute will act like resuscitation is possible and do the drill but they know too. It is show. They are paid performers.

My dead man, on that occasion, stayed where he was until the doc came, then the cops. No one moved him.

As it happened, the doc was my own physician and we had a nice talk while we were waiting for the troops to arrive.

I don't know what happened next. The cops said we could go, Sam and I. We left. Sam had done his job in the middle of the night. He was a paid performer, union. His role was to declare the guy dead. Not strenuous at all but a sleep deprived night.

We didn't go to the funeral. I imagine that Sam didn't either. I am sure he sent a bill. I didn't do that either.

I didn't even know when it was, the funeral. I assume they had one. But then I generally do not go to funerals at all it not being either for or about the dead person.

But that is another story.

I like the guy's conclusion. There was an elation after at doing the right thing and, of course, not being the dead guy.

In my experience there is nothing that will have you feel more alive than being with a corpse for even a few minutes. So dead. Especially one you have no investment in one way or another.

Labels: death