Two men, both seriously ill
occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed
for an hour a day
to drain the fluids from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families,
their homes, their jobs,
their involvement in the military service,
where they had been on vacation.
And every afternoon
when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up,
he would pass the time by describing to his roommate
all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods
where his world would be broadened
and enlivened by all the activity and color
of the outside world.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake,
the man had said.
Ducks and swans played on the water
while children sailed their model boats.
Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers
of every color of the rainbow.
Grand old trees graced the landscape,
and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail,
the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes
and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon
the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band,
he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman
by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Unexpectedly,
an alien thought entered his head:
Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything
while I never get to see anything?
It didn't seem fair.
As the thought fermented,
the man felt ashamed at first.
But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights,
his envy eroded into resentment
and soon turned him sour.
He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep.
He should be by that window
and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night,
as he lay staring at the ceiling
the man by the window began to cough.
He was choking on the fluid in his lungs.
The other man watched in the dimly lit room
as the struggling man by the window groped
for the button to call for help.
Listening from across the room,
he never moved,
never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running.
In less than five minutes,
the coughing and choking stopped,
along with the sound of breathing.
Now, there was only silence
deathly silence.
The following morning
the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths.
When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window
she was saddened and called the hospital attendant
to take it away no words, no fuss.
As soon as it seemed appropriate,
the man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch
and after making sure he was comfortable,
she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully,
he propped himself up on one elbow
to take his first look.
Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
Best Regards
QaReAa
:)
occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed
for an hour a day
to drain the fluids from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families,
their homes, their jobs,
their involvement in the military service,
where they had been on vacation.
And every afternoon
when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up,
he would pass the time by describing to his roommate
all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods
where his world would be broadened
and enlivened by all the activity and color
of the outside world.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake,
the man had said.
Ducks and swans played on the water
while children sailed their model boats.
Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers
of every color of the rainbow.
Grand old trees graced the landscape,
and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail,
the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes
and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon
the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band,
he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman
by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Unexpectedly,
an alien thought entered his head:
Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything
while I never get to see anything?
It didn't seem fair.
As the thought fermented,
the man felt ashamed at first.
But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights,
his envy eroded into resentment
and soon turned him sour.
He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep.
He should be by that window
and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night,
as he lay staring at the ceiling
the man by the window began to cough.
He was choking on the fluid in his lungs.
The other man watched in the dimly lit room
as the struggling man by the window groped
for the button to call for help.
Listening from across the room,
he never moved,
never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running.
In less than five minutes,
the coughing and choking stopped,
along with the sound of breathing.
Now, there was only silence
deathly silence.
The following morning
the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths.
When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window
she was saddened and called the hospital attendant
to take it away no words, no fuss.
As soon as it seemed appropriate,
the man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch
and after making sure he was comfortable,
she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully,
he propped himself up on one elbow
to take his first look.
Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
Best Regards
QaReAa
:)
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