The Guy On the Side of the Road

There's a guy lying on the side of the road.

I think to myself that that just can't be. It's right next to a boat shaped planter thing which has a mailbox sticking out of it. Maybe it's someone's scarecrow decoration that tipped over.

Except, I drive this stretch of road twice a day. I've not seen a scarecrow thing there before. It just feels wrong.

It might be some person that went out to get their mail, and collapsed near the mailbox.

I was a couple hundred yards down the road now. And there were lots of other cars around. Nobody stopped.

WTF?

So now I'm concerned, that everyone is just driving by and not checking.  So I pull to the shoulder, and hang a u turn. My heart is racing because I'm worried I might have to do CPR or something.  It's been four years since my last refresher course.

Or maybe this person is dead.  Or maybe it really is just a scarecrow. If it is, I'm going to set it back where it goes, so it stops freaking me out.

I get back to the driveway and pull in.  Grabbing my phone, I hop out and come around the car. Sure enough, it's a guy. 

I call out to him, "Hey, you all right?"

He opens his eyes, "I'm fine.  You got any food?"

I guess I ignore that second part, I don't have any food. 

"You sure you're ok?" I ask again, I'm not really buying it. 

"Yes, I'm good.  They've checked on me.  Give me some food."

Ok, now I'm a little irritated. So I give some lecture-y advice:

"you shouldn't lay there.  I thought you were hurt.  Lots of other people will too you know.  Plus you're like, five feet from a highway.  You could get hurt."

"Give me some food, or go away" is all he answers with. 

So I tell him he should move again, and I walk back to my car.

I'm still concerned, but mostly annoyed now.

But, as I drive away, I think that maybe he does need help of some kind. So for only the second time in my life, I dial 911.

911 picks up "911 Dispatch, what's your emergency?"

I'm not sure how to start, so I introduce myself

"Hello, this is Fred Robel calling,...........um.....I was just driving home, and there was this guy.........."

They interrupt me, "If this is about the guy on the side of the road, he's already been dealt with, and he is fine."

But I persist:  "Yeah, it is, but I mean, I stopped and talked to him, and he IS ok, or he says he is.  But, he's still there....."

They give me the official brush off:  "The police have been dealing with him all day sir.  They transported him to the hospital, and he was fine.  There isn't anything else they can do for him."

It was apparent that nothing was going to happen.  So I thanked them, and they thanked me, and we hung up on each other.

At this point, I'd like to say that I went and got him some food and dropped it off to him.  Or offered him a ride somewhere.  Or something, anything.

But I didn't. 

I stopped and picked up Chinese food for my family, and drove the rest of the twenty miles home thinking that I should have done something.

I didn't see him there on my way to work this morning.  Nobody walking, or sitting, or laying anywhere I could see.  No man in dirty jeans and maroon carhart jacket anywhere to be found.

No chance to redeem myself.

Maybe someone else helped him out. 

Or maybe I was supposed to be that someone.

And someone, dropped the ball.

Cheers, to me thinking I should rename this blog to something like:  My Failing at being Human.