Retired Morning
Mornings for most retired folks are slow. Where do we need to go? After years of working regular hours, suddenly we have few duties to fulfill and time, well we have plenty of free time. To fill the free hours, I have discovered substitute teaching in the local high schools. An early start is required to meet the students in their classes and that means a dark beginning of my day.
Two days ago, I was up early for a substitute job, had my teacher bag, lunch and coffee…all of the necessities. As I walked out of our retirement apartment building, I tripped on something and fell. All of my teaching necessities spilled out of the bag, lunch was spread out for the ants, and coffee had stained the sidewalk, not to mention me, spread eagle and face down. I was dazed and angry at my clumsiness.
Getting up from such a painful position was not going to be easy, so I tried to push up. Suddenly I felt the strong arms of someone helping me up. It was Fred Metzenbalm, one of our neighbors, a shy man and quite a bit older than me. He did not speak, but merely helped me up, helped gather my teaching necessities and lunch, then walked off. I had no time to thank him, he disappeared quickly.
After teaching, I returned home and was determined to stop by Fred and Lucy’s home to thank him for his good Samaritan help. After knocking, Lucy answered the door and I saw that she was crying. Her two sons and families were also in the room. I asked what was wrong and she told me that Fred died last night around midnight, about 6 hours before my fall this morning.
Two days ago, I was up early for a substitute job, had my teacher bag, lunch and coffee…all of the necessities. As I walked out of our retirement apartment building, I tripped on something and fell. All of my teaching necessities spilled out of the bag, lunch was spread out for the ants, and coffee had stained the sidewalk, not to mention me, spread eagle and face down. I was dazed and angry at my clumsiness.
Getting up from such a painful position was not going to be easy, so I tried to push up. Suddenly I felt the strong arms of someone helping me up. It was Fred Metzenbalm, one of our neighbors, a shy man and quite a bit older than me. He did not speak, but merely helped me up, helped gather my teaching necessities and lunch, then walked off. I had no time to thank him, he disappeared quickly.
After teaching, I returned home and was determined to stop by Fred and Lucy’s home to thank him for his good Samaritan help. After knocking, Lucy answered the door and I saw that she was crying. Her two sons and families were also in the room. I asked what was wrong and she told me that Fred died last night around midnight, about 6 hours before my fall this morning.
Comments