stuff is cool

As I was leaving the office today, I saw a young man, maybe 20, curled up on the lawn next door, just off the sidewalk, as if he had stopped and fallen over in his tracks. It was not a place to stop an have a nap. Plus it was cold and rainy and he was in short sleeves. I rushed back inside and my boss came out with me. We were debating whether or not to go shake him when the neighbor, Gloria, came out, too. We all thought it might be that he was passed-out drunk, or on drugs, or (this was my input) in diabetic shock (having seen how out my brother was when it happened to him).

Gloria went and got her husband, Doug, because we were afraid if any of us woke the apparently-unconscious guy he might be startled and lash out. Plus, Gloria’s husband speaks fluent Spanish, so if the young man DID come-to, and only spoke Spanish, Doug could at least talk to him, if he was coherent enough to speak. We wanted to cover all the bases.

My boss had gone back inside to be with her baby, and Gloria was in getting her husband. For a moment I was alone out there with this unconscious fellow, and as I stood there, a car drove by and someone hung out the window and screamed this strange, cackling scream. I felt, perhaps, it was someone who knew the guy. It was kind of a mocking scream.

Well, then Gloria and her husband Doug came rushing out. They had heard the scream and thought it was me! In any case, Doug shook the young man, rolled him on his back, patted his face, and kept shouting at him to wake up. Nothing. He checked his pulse, and felt that the young man was breathing, but barely. Gloria called 911 and we three stood and waited, at a safe distance. It was blustery cold, by the way, for the first time this season!

About 8 paramedics and firemen came in less than two minutes. There might have even been more guys. They just kept coming. They surrounded Unconscious Guy, did the same shake-and-shout routine, did some medical stuff, and loaded him into the ambulance and drove off. All we could report to the paramedics was that we had just found the guy a few minutes ago. I mentioned the screaming person, not that it would really help. But I think maybe the guy was possibly just dumped there or intentionally allowed to attempt stumble home in an unhealthy state.

Our office (located in a house) is in a normal, fairly quiet neighborhood, but our particular street is very busy. There are people walking by all the time. This guy just didn’t make it where he was headed.

I don’t know, and won’t know, what was wrong with him, or if he is OK, but I will certainly be praying that he is.