The guy

There was once a guy.

On a typical day in the life of the guy he was woken by his mother's domestic worker with a mug of sweet tea next to his bed. Mercylessly the curtains were ripped open and he was kicked out of bed. On the campus after a late night he stumbled groggily to the lecture theater. This guy blended in well, untidy, unkempt hair and beard. Obviously just another student until he put his bag on lecture desk and starts cleaning the blackboard.

~

At last finally he had his own place.

A really nice cosy granny flat clean neatly furnished and with every thing that opens and shuts. Stove, kettle, microwave, fridge toaster you name it. Thus in expectation he was ready to entertain his friends he had a very good sound system and TV too as well and even a spare bed. All paid for.

As always bookracks full of books and books as many you wish especially reference works and classics. Then of course he had his computers and there were some merry chattering cage birds for company. There was even a landline. In anticipation he looked forward for anyone to come.

He had high hopes.

Old friends family and church members essentially did not ever visit nor any of his school friends. Mostly as in zero. Church friends regularly once a week passed right past his suburb he asked phoned begged almost for a lift and to go with, or just say hello for coffee. No not once in three years. Only later did the guy realise he'd been in the middle of a spiteful love triangle whilst blissfully not knowing any thing about it. Every night he was alone. He was now deserted even his family had apparantly abandoned him. Although to be fair he says he did have a handful of visitors over in the three years, these being work related.

This guy told me how he'd lived on instant oats and tinned pilchards, fresh milk and coke in excessive amounts. Now and then he made popcorn as a treat, on payday there was fresh banana loaf. He will tell you that the wierdest thing of all is eating on your own. Sharing food is deeply ingrained in the human soul, having communal meals is a deep instinct. He also started talking to himself and to people who were not there. The doctor said no it's perfectly normal but if they spoke back then he would worry.

A woman once phoned,

Hello!
Are you drinking your pills?
Good to hear from you it was a few years!
Chitter chatter, suddenly,
Tim! Are you right in the head?
Phone down, please excuse the rudeness.

Another woman phoned once and she suddenly let go with an hysteric barrage he told her she must get an ambulance for herself rather. This one got ugly and would not stop. Unreal, from the blue. Well safe to say, indeed the guy was unpopular but there was a sweetheart, what joy, what happiness! They were seperated, the dude is as mean as he is stupid.

So that he had a lot of time, mostly reading poetry and he fooled around on his PCs. He did a lot of routine work for the university as well as some very promising research, a collaboration including some very original work and which the boss simply scorned in his own ignorence. Papers papers we want papers!

His boss was a horrible little man and the guy's efforts were never aknowledged but rather more and more he was seen as a threat. There was no regard nor any interest at all in his research. As you can think he had a lot of time for work with nothing else to do, and with sleeping uncivilized hours. You must understand that he managed an incredible amount of work living like this. Later on our guy started sleeping even the more seemingly random hours, on waking sometimes first thing he had to draw the curtains to see if is day or night.

~

Indeed, if you invite everyone and wait for anyone, you know that you are unwanted when no-one ever comes to your new place.

My sympathy. Join the club.