Beautiful Love Stories: The Man in Room 12

by Kath
(Kingston)

Reader Post: My first day on the job... The man in room 12 had fallen during the night. They said that he was okay, but I knew that it was my responsibility to check on him. My supervisor told me that he was a "mean man" and wished me luck. She said that he would not allow me to assess his condition. That did not matter nor did it faze me. I had dealt with this before. My mother had always taught me, "Kill them with kindness". I will never forget her words, as they have stayed with me and echo back at me whenever someone is unkind. I was going in.

I knocked on his door and waited for permission to enter his room. As I entered his room and made my way to him, he said hello. I introduced myself and stated why I was there. He quickly obliged me, but with hesitation. He thanked me and I left the room.

I reported that he was just fine and his acceptance of me. My supervisor was stunned to say the least.

He reminds me of my father who has passed away, but he is nothing like him. Still, this elderly man quickly became wound around my heart. Our friendship blossomed. It deepened into an unexplainable relationship of a fatherly kind of love. He protects me and I, him.

He is stubborn and firm when he does not want to do something. He states his reasoning, but does so with respect to me. When he became upset one time, he raised his voice. He quickly apologized over and over again, long after I forgave him.

There is an unspoken love there that both of us feel, but that we do not talk about. At one time he thought it was another kind of friendship and I quickly pointed out that there were all kinds of love in this world.

I do not know why we feel this bond between us, but I know that it is of a mutual respect and admiration for each other. Maybe it is because I miss my father so much. Maybe I see so much of me in him. All I know is that we are each teaching each other that love can take on many forms. I will never forget this man whom I care greatly for. I want to be the one who takes him on his journey home because I care so much for him. He will take a piece of my heart with him when that time comes.