Never Assume Always Verify

I thought about how this spring and summer would change with my neighbor not sitting on her porch swing waving to me as Captain and I moved about in the yard. It seems so sad to think of looking to my left and seeing an empty swing. Despite the fact that I can’t stand her drunken mate I felt I needed to at least go over to the house and tell him I was sorry for his loss. I don’t have a lick of respect for anyone that assaults another person but I still wanted to go over there and acknowledge his loss. I got myself together and knocked on the door. Let me back up a bit.

Only once before have my knees shaken so badly that I felt they’d actually give out. I was in the caves in Kentucky walking a thin bridge under ground with a drop of 150 feet. I’m not good standing on a chair let alone on a bridge with 150 feet below me while I’m under ground in the blackness of a cave. My knees buckled. I thought that was something only in the movies but nope, it actually happens. So that day in the caves I had to be assisted walking the rest of the way across the bridge. Not until Tuesday evening have my knees buckled that way again. I knocked on the door ready to give my condolences. I stood there, the door opened slowly and there stood my red headed neighbor that was suppose to be dead. I about passed out! She said, “Hi” I think I may have stuttered “hello” and perhaps drooled a bit while trying not to pass out on her front porch.

I didn’t know what to say because there I was talking to someone that I thought was dead, someone that I thought had been bagged and taken away in the ambulance. Come to find out it was her sister that died. So there I sat in her living room saying very, very little. I couldn’t say to her, I’m so happy your sister is dead and not you. I just kept quiet, after all I was still in shock, still somewhat woozy from her answering the door. I must have changed three or four colours before turning white! I may have aged 5 years in that moment and I’m not sure if my eyes have returned to their natural size. They may still be bugged out. It might take awhile for my body to re-coop from that shock. As I sat there saying very little I didn’t mentioned that I had mourned her passing for several days before getting up the nerve to come offer my sympathies. I believe that keeping my mouth shut was the right thing to do. And I am so happy I didn’t send a card.

Her sister was invited to stay with them during her last days. When the sister passed the abusive mate of my Lucille Ball look-alike neighbor went outside with the ambulance people as they took her sister away. My neighbor stayed inside talking to the paramedics which is why I assumed it was her they were taking out of there. He was there, she wasn’t. I thought the logical conclusion was that she was dead. One must never assume, always verify OR make sure there is someone to catch you when you pass out on the front porch after you realize your friend and neighbor is actually alive.

The next time I post that someone died you might ask yourself, has Austin verified this?

So, I look forward to looking to my left as I exit my front door to see my flaming red-headed neighbor sitting on her swing waving to me and Cappy as we move about the yard. May she never find out that I believed her to be dead.

Austin
Never Assume Always Verify
April 11, 2007 (12:45am)