shankar2k's Journal: Wake Up Call

I drove up to Chicago this last weekend for my friend's birthday. I wasn't feeling too well last week, so I decided not to drink. It has been a while since I was the sober guy at the party, and I forgot how much fun it can be.

But anyway, my friend called me this morning. It was 9:30, so I was still in deep REM or something, but I got up, cursed at the phone under my breath, and then practiced saying hello a couple times so it wouldn't sound like I was woken up.

The first thing I hear on the phone from my friend: her boyfriend has died. Her voice was too choked up for me to find out he died, but that's not the point. She woke up, saw him gasping for air, performed CPR on him, and then called 911, all to no avail. I met her boyfriend on just one occasion prior to her birthday. Initially, I thought he was a little old for her, but I got to know him, and found him to be a really nice guy. These things always happen to nice guys don't they?

I've never lost someone close to me, and I'm not sure how I would deal with it. In the past, I have given my friend lots of advice, but on this one, I got nothing. I've never felt so helpless and meaningless, and I know that what I am feeling is just the smallest, tiniest, most miniscule fraction of what she is going through.