You're Welcome and Fuck You Too!

I walk my daughter to the bus stop every morning. Its on the corner three houses away from mine. Today started like any other but as I passed my elderly neighbor's house I spied him out of the corner of my up on his garage roof. Its detached from his house. He's always tinkering around and to see him on his garage is not a surprise at all. Evidently, he has a wood stove in there for heat and it was smoking so he must have been farting around with the chimney or something. Suddenly, he slipped, lost his balance, bounced once and fell out of my view as I heard his body hit the ground from about 9 feet up. There was a heavy frost last night and he must have been on ice.

I sent the Little One on to the bus stop as I saw my other neighbor already their with his kid and I promptly jogged around the corner of the building to see the man on his side not making any sound. I thought he might be knocked out, or worse. He was conscious but dazed and I could clearly saw a huge welt on his forehead. God knows what other ailments the poor man suffered.

"Are you okay?" I anxiously asked him. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just need to lie here for a bit" he replied.

"Well let me get your wife" I said.

"No! Don't you fucking go and upset her". I'm thinking, dude, I'm not the one who fell off the roof.

"We really need to get somebody. Can you get up?" I asked.

"Just let me be."

"Well, I'm not going to just leave you here."

"Who the fuck are you?" he yelled at me. It was more of an accusation than a question.

"I'm your neighbor from across the street. I saw you fall as I walked by and I really think you need some help"

"I said just leave me be!" he snapped.

"Fine!" I said as I walked out from the garage. Of course I had no intention of just leaving him so I went on his door and summon his wife.

I knocked and knocked but nobody answered, even though her car was there, so I dialed 911 on my cell phone. I couldn't just leave the man prone on a chilly morning. I've had limited contact with him in the past and he might be an asshole, which I suspect, or he might not be of right mind because of the knock to his noggin. In any regard, I couldn't, in good conscience just leave him as he requested.

After I got off the phone I went back behind the garage to find he had gotten himself up, put on his hat and glasses and he was all hunched over and supporting himself against the fence.

"You should really stay there until you get checked out. I can see the big bump you have there. Did you hurt anything else?" I said thinking the whole time this guy could have hurt his spine.

"I tweaked my back." he groaned. Well Duh!

"Well, just stay still" I told him "I called emergency services. At least get checked out. You can always refuse their service." Let them deal with it I though to myself.

"You mother fucker! I fucking told you not to call anybody! I'll be fine!" If he wasn't such a wreck, I thought he might punch me. Then he paused. Then said, "Listen I appreciate your concern. Just leave me be!" he said with a hint of more gentility.

"Well, deal with them when they come. I'm not about to leave you here."

After another pause he asked "Can you help me get into the garage?

"Now you want my assistance after how you spoke to me? After how you treated me?" I asked him incredulously. "You should just stay still until they arrive. Get yourself checked out."

That wasn't good enough for him, but I was in deep anyway so I helped support him as we walked about halfway around the garage at which point we saw the EMT walking down the long driveway. I have to say, in the brief time I was there, he treated her a lot more civilly than me as she started in with some questions.

He's an old-timer. Late 70's I'd guess. The rugged sort and no doubt old school. He probably doesn't go to the hospital for any reason and he was pissed. But even still, I did what I had to do.

I asked if the EMT if she needed anything from me and she didn't, so I left. I was still quite angry at the ingrate but know I did the right thing even if he did eventually get up on his own. I was, however, a bit worried about my daughter since I kind of abandoned her in my haste and the bus had come and gone in the meantime.

I went down to the neighbor who stood with her and his son as they boarded and knocked on his door to try to explain. He and his wife couldn't believe what had happened even though I left out what a dick the guy was. They were very nice about the whole thing and understood completely.