Mortality

I keep thinking about a call we had on Tuesday. Johnny went out to meet with some concerned co-workers to check on a guy that hadn't shown up for work on Monday or Tuesday. They said he was very dependable, to the point they had to make him take vacations.

So Johnny is checking the house and when he got to the back porch and could see into the basement, he saw the guy on the floor in front of his computer, wearing nothing but his bikini underwear.

So he called for an ambulance, and forced entry. When the fire department got there, they said he was indeed dead, and they packed up and left. I pulled in about the time they were leaving and one of the other officers came out to notify the co-workers. Then Johnny and I settled in to wait for the Medical Examiner.

It's interesting the glimpse you get into people's lives in circumstances like this.

The guy was 62 years old, and the last time anyone had seen him was on Friday. Judging from his house, he was a HEAVY smoker (unfiltered cigarettes) and drinker (wine-in-a-box and beer). He was apparently playing solitaire on his computer and surfing porn sites. He lived alone, with the exception of a cat. His children live in Michigan and North Carolina. Apparently he was an accomplished oil painter, as he had a studio set up near his computer.

The furniture was cheap and modern, but he had some very cool antiques. Things like ice hooks and an old typewriter. Oil lamps. Railroad artifacts and fire department antiques. And a variety of other trinkets and collectibles.

It seemed as though he was still living in the 70's. Satin sheets on the bed. (Ew!) And despite it all, the house was fairly clean. There were a lot of cobwebs in the basement, but the house didn't smell of cat or cigarettes. A guess would be that he died late on Sunday, of either a massive stroke or heart attack.

I keep thinking about this call only because I don't want to go like that. I love my co-workers, and we're all close. But I don't want to be alone to the point that the only people missing me are the ones I work with because I'm so dependable.

I want more than that...