I had one of the worst days yesterday. It started out alright and everything. Just a normal run of the mill kind of day. But all that changed when someone who works in my building came up, down cast. He needed to talk to Ray. From the look on his face, and remembering the conversation he had with his co-worker, Chris, on Thursday, I assumed he was telling Ray he was quitting. The news he gave instead caught me off guard. His co-worker, Chris, had been killed by a car on Saturday night. Chris wouldn't be coming to do his rounds that day.
My first reaction, unbelief, second, sorrow.
The rest of the afternoon I spent crying off an on. He had turned 22 just the week before. He was younger than me. He was kind. He was funny. And now he is gone. He isn't in the hospital getting his tonsils out; he isn't sick at home with the flew; there wasn't an accident in his family; he is dead.
Tuesdays I go into physical therapy so instead of going home right away I hang out in the city a few hours longer than normal. After therapy (a painful one might I add), I decided that I needed a sweet pick-me-up. I wandered around Dylan's Candy Bar picking out my favorite candy talking to my mom on the phone, confiding in her the most painful situations relating to Chris. On my way to the cash register my mom began to pray for me. I took out the amount shown on the register, but it was pre-tax, so after the cashier pressed the "enter" button, a different amount came up. I shifted the $10.70 and went back to my wallet to get the $11.17.
"Talking on the phone while at the register, are you serious?" I heard a voice say directly behind me.
I turned around immediately to see who it was. It was an older man and his wife, clearly he was peeved with me.
"Excuse me?" I asked him. His wife colored a little
"Nothing." She said.
I was not in the mood to just sit there and let him be so rude to me.
"My friend just died and that's why I'm on my phone at the register."
His wife look completely embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." She said.
I got out of that store as soon as I could, tears streaming down my face. It was all so ironic walking out of the brightly colored store, pink bag full of candy, and me, sobbing.
But that situation taught me a lot. It was like I had this whole new perspective of people all around me. Whether it's someone pushing me on the subway, bumping my purse off my arm in the street, or cutting me in line at the train station; I don't know what that person has just experienced. I don't know if that person is lost in remorse, oblivious because of an exciting event, or just plain exhausted from being over worked.
I wouldn't have learned that if it weren't for Chris.
I wish I could say Chris would want it that way, but honestly I wasn't given the opportunity to get to know him well enough to say that. So I'll just say it's something I learned only thanks to Chris.
To get information on Chris' untimely death, please see the Staten Island Advance (www.SILive.com/obits) for Christopher Nowak.
