I haven't been very interested in posting lately. Probably wouldn't today, either, except for an awful thing.
Was at Mockingbird Station this morning meeting up with the DRC crew for the regular Saturday morning run (13 miles down Swiss Ave, through downtown and back up the Katy trail) when Greg passed on some terrible news. There's this guy, Arshad, whom I just know from Saturday mornings. We'd spoken several times, but last week we ended up pretty much running together for most of the run. I found out a lot about him. 28 years old. Engineer at TI. About to start a new job after a promotion. New girlfriend. Excited because his parents were coming to visit him from India for the first time, so he was going to see them after about 3 years separation. Everything going great.
Yesterday his parents got in town and last night he was driving them around showing them Dallas. Drunk driver smashed them, killed him and his mother, and left his father in critical condition, 50/50 chance of living.
How does one react to that sort of thing? We all just sort of stood around for a couple of minutes shaking our heads saying how sad it is. Then we just said "Oh, well...." and started the run.
Nobody really knows him. (I guess Greg does, because he at least heard about the accident. But even he didn't know about whether there is other family or anything.) Arshad was just a guy who started showing up on Saturday mornings a few months ago. I know he was a pretty fast guy who liked to run with the slower group on Saturdays. I generally run with the faster group, but didn't last Saturday, because I wasn't feeling very good, and that's how he and I ended up "together." We started out with but went on ahead of the slower folks.
Somehow I think I should "do something." But I don't know any more details. I tried to call Greg, but I don't really even know him except from seeing him on Saturday mornings. I'm not sure there's really anything I could do. But maybe that's just an excuse. If that ever happened to me, I don't know who would do what. I know there are a few people who would be sad for a while, but then they would "turn to their affairs."
That's an oddly disconcerting feeling. If I died, people at REI and running buddies would shake their heads, comment on how sad it was, and then just go on without me. That's simply stating the obvious, of course, but the thought of the world without me in it makes me feel a little bit solemn, or something like that. I'm not sure that's the right word. Of course, the world without Patrick in it is going to happen soon enough, anyway. I'm not quite ready for that yet, though.
The thought of Arshad's father in the ICU in a strange country where he'd apparently been for less than 12 hours is really sad, though, especially as I don't know if there's anyone to sit in the waiting room for him.
I think I'll try again to call Greg.
But first I've got to shower and go to a vendor (Asics running shoes) meeting at REI at 2:00.
Me, though I don't really like this.
2 comments:
This is very sad, Patrick. I'm so sorry for this young man and his family. I hope the driver is caught and swiftly punished.
I also realize how fragile it makes life seem. You *will* leave a hole where you used to be, though. Maybe not so much to those runners, but to those whose lives you truly touched you will. There will never be another Patrick, and that will be a sad thing.
But also, I think, what a relief that the world will go on without you. A lifting of a burden, perhaps?
i agree - that is incredibly sad. which leads me to ask an incredibly naive question: why do bad things happen to good people?
you know, i saw you later that day, and nothing seemed different about you. and i think that's why i like you - because regardless of what is occurring in your life, you always maintain. that's patrick.
i know that i would miss you. how could i not miss the person who took me to my first state fair of texas, bought me my first corny dog, and generally de-bunks life for me?
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