There is an older German couple that lives in my building. They are very sweet and everytime I see them they want to chat about my car. They love my old Mercedes and apparently had one at some time. I always loved running into them and having nice chats about cars and their homeland, and how life was for them back in the day. (I suspect they are in their 80's) I haven't seen them in ages and yesterday I was happy to see the gentleman getting off the elevator. I greeted him with a big smile and acknowledged how long it had been. In a rush for the elevator, I asked him if he would be coming to the annual Christmas party tonight and asked if we could catch up more then. Sadly his response was a firey "No, I will not be going. My wife died a year ago and since then I have no interest in anything, nobody, nothing!" He was quite angry.
I don't know what was more jarring. The horrible shriek of the elevator alarm going off because I had held it to long while talking to him, or his response. This always smiling cheerful neighbor of mine whom I had not seen in so long had suffered a great tragedy, and I had not noticed. My heart broke. I had seen him alone a few times as I would drive off to go to work, or coming back from dinner with friends. I figured his smiling bride was at home waiting for his return.
I'm sad I won't get to see them tonight and sadder that he is alone and angry. I'm sad that I got to busy to notice. It is a good reminder that we need to take the time to remember those arounds us, both near and far. So tonight I will go to the party and raise a glass to his beautiful wife, and say a secret Christmas wish for him. And when I leave I will sneak a piece of dessert up to his door with a card that says "Merry Christmas. Thinking of you. The girl with the red car."
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