People change us.

you'll be changed after reading this...

My father used to tell me that whomever we meet changes us in a certain way, even if we cannot notice this change, it just happens. I did not believe Dad until I began to change my self. It was on sunny day. Jacquine, my best friend, called me and we decided to go out have lunch. He told me that he was feeling bad and he wanted to speak about, Jena, the girl he secretly loved. Putting on the air of a wise mentor, I asked Jacquine not to think and that I would fix everything up. After putting on my jersey jeans and tight pull over, I headed to Jacquine’s house and waited for him. Although I had a thick mat of brown hair over my head, I felt like the sunlight was penetrating into my skull.

 

“Can I help you sir?” A raspy, quivery voice spoke from behind me.

 

I turned and replied with a frown, “Thanks, just waiting for a friend.” Probably he wanted some money.

 

He was an old man wearing the blue uniform of a security guy. He had brown, wrinkled skin and balding head, flanked with disheveled, grey hairs. His left eye, opposite to the blue color of his other eye, had a strange white color, as if his eyeball was mashed up and then reformed.

 

“Fine,” he retreated into his chair, as if being humiliated by my cold reply. “I just have to check, I’m sorry if I annoyed you.”

 

“Do you do act this way with everyone that comes near the building?” I asked, “It’s really ridiculous, you should stop it.”

 

“It’s my job sir,”

 

“Fine, if it’s your job, then do it right.”

 

I raised my head to the first window. Jacquine was late. After giving him a missed call, I stood at the edge of the sidewalk, hoping that the old man would just leave me alone.

 

The old man got to his feet once again and placed a hand at my shoulder. My face turned red. He was surpassing his limits, now I should stop him. “Take your hands off,” I said. It seemed that he did not hear me, so I thickened my voice and yelled. “Take off your hands; I’m not your friend.”

 

His fingers shivered slowly at my shoulder and then he pulled it back. “I’m sorry once again sir,”

 

Eventually, Jacquine appeared out of the building. He walked at me, and grasped me from the elbow. “Don’t talk to this man. We’re planning to replace him.” Jacquine’s voice was so loud as if he wanted to let the old man know that they were going to fire him soon.

 

At the restaurant, we kept on talking and talking and talking, until there were no words to speak.

 

After a slow walk back to Jacquine’s home, it seemed that everything was settled in Jacquine’s relationship with Jena. I convinced him to forget her.

 

At the tail of Jacquine’s street, I noticed a throng of people gathering in front of Jacquine’s house.

 

I pointed at them, elbowing Jacquine. “What has happened? may be there’s an accident or something.”

 

By the time we reached the house, the loud screams of a woman emerged from the heart of the crowd. “John!” She flopped at the ground over a dead body and slapped her cheeks until they got red. The dead man’s body was donned in a blue, security uniform. He was the old man.

“They say he gotta a heart attack,” One of the men at the crowd said, “He’s such an olda fellow...Poor man.”

 

My heart seemed to stop beating for a second. I approached the old man’s body. His lids were opened up, with his eyes gazing at the stars above. He died, and he died on the day I humiliated him. “You’re not my friend,” The phrase echoed all over my bones, forcing me to pinch my knuckles harder. The anger surpassed the sadness. Suddenly, I slumped to my knees, laid my head over the dead man’s chest and cried. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

This really happened to me. It really changed me on every level of my being and i realized that life was all about being kind and true to those around you.

Reviews

[cartera]

The story was a simple one and well-told. Th moral is of course for us all not be motor-mouths, not to speak without thinking, even in the face of what we consider to be rudeness. There but the grace . . etc, etc.
However, do not flagellate yourself overmuch. it is is so easily done, and you did not cause the heart attack. Resolve to try and not do it again in similar circumstances, that is all anyone can do.
ATB
Alex.

[Emily B]

there are so many lessons that we must learn, the least among us deserves so much . . .

[..R.I.P..]

I have been in a similar situation, but the girl didn't die she just ended up with a broken leg. It was at a football game, she was a cheerleader, and she was always putting me and everyone else down. Well I was sick of it! So I walked up to her and I pushed her and called her a s**t and a b***h and told her that she wasn't any better than anyone at our school and she best shut her f***ing mouth before I shut it for her. People pulled us apart before we could start fighting. She ended up falling from the top of the pyramid and breaking her leg. Karma finally got her, she doesn't talk about peaple and we're kinda sorta friends now. So I kinda sorta know exactly what you went through, but not quite because Lacy didn't die.
Great write!!! =DDD
~Kathleen

[emmajoy]

A fine story with such a tragic but moral ending .. we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our good deeds. Life should never be that important that we can't stop for another human being .. but, we do, most of us .. lack of empathy, impatience, intolerance, selfishness .. they're in the majority of us .. any one of us could have behaved as you do.

Apart from that you've written very well .. flowing delivery, fine English and your dialogue ripples very naturally.

Thank you for sharing.

[LeeLee Ryder]

Change is good... I often wonder what happened to
people I had bad encounters with when I was younger..
Self examination = freedom... Thanks for the reminder
to be kind to others.. LeeLee

[Elvina CZq]

This story is very nice. Really, good job on it. Maybe with a little touch up, revise, and edit, you might get a better picture out of it so that the readers will not get the sudden impact from the narrator's anger issue. But the 180 degree change of the narrator's attitude should maintain, because this is what proves the moral of story that no matter who we meet or wherever we are, we should learn to be polite, and remember our self-value.

Very interesting story. 'People Change Us'. Nice title too. Keep it up! :)

[Bhavya Kaushik]

Ah! That was very beautiful..The plot behind this piece was very simple yet interested and you have presented it in a very well defined manner. I liked the way you described few scenes, it was very lucid.
Though, I guess it needs a quick editing :)
Overall, it was a pleasure reading you.Great work!

[deeps]

Yes! This is so amazing here!
Some people will never come out of the dark though.
People are people. Only have to want the need to change themselves.
I like this, nicely said and written.