Krule
Carpe Diem
- Jun 4, 2017
- 4,534
- 8,687
I am not a devoutly religious person but I do like to think that someone up there is watching over us. We have to believe that terrorist attacks in some way make us more resolute and determined to eradicate this evil from the face of the earth. To that end they can possibly be explained but that offers no comfort to the friends and relatives of the deceased. Then something happens that makes you question His existence....
Every Saturday afternoon I normally arrive at my local pub about 2.00pm. Usually the early kick off is just finishing on Sky and I settle by the bar with my mates. Invariably there is a guy called Simon there with his son Cameron aged 10. They are both West Ham supporters and the young lad proudly wears the full Hammers kit with the word Carroll emblazoned on the back. Usually they are playing pool and as soon as I walk in there is a cry of "Spurs are rubbish !" from Cameron. I shake my fist at him and he smiles cheekily.
I always take my android tablet with me so I can watch a stream showing the Spurs match and usually have a few gather around. On the pub TV will be Sky Football Latest. The channel I watch is always a couple of minutes behind real time and my little friend soon realised this. Whenever it flashed on screen that West Ham had scored he would drop his pool cue and run to where I was standing asking to see the goal. I always obliged no matter what was happening in the Spurs game. I remember once allowing him to see virtually the whole of the first half of a hammer's match, much to the annoyance of my fellow Spurs fans. He had a vitality and spirit about him that was infectious. Everyone in the bar knew him and liked him....he was what you would call a loveable rogue, never too cheeky or overstepped the mark but just had a way of making you smile.
Last weekend I walked into the bar and it was 'end of the season' quiet, with hardly anyone in. I ordered a pint and noticed a glass tankard on a bar shelf bearing the words "Cameron". I presumed it was a sponsorship collection of some sort and then I saw "In Honour Of" underneath his name. The landlord explained that the boy had contracted viral meningitis a couple of days earlier and had died within 6 hours of diagnosis. I cannot explain to you my emotional reaction at the news, shock, anger and a whole myriad of others. Later on his father came in and I shook his hand. All I could say was "I'm so sorry, I have no words". He nodded in understanding and walked away.
Since that day one question burns in my mind....Why ?. Here was a young football supporter who lived for his team and brought so much sunshine into other people's lives. Next season the pub will seem like a desert without his laughter and smile. What possibly justification was there in this life being so cruelly taken ?
So next time you feel life is unfair and you are in some way being unjustly treated, come back to this posting and read it again. I apologise for such a sad story but it was one that I needed to tell, if only to remind myself how fortunate I am compared to many others.
Every Saturday afternoon I normally arrive at my local pub about 2.00pm. Usually the early kick off is just finishing on Sky and I settle by the bar with my mates. Invariably there is a guy called Simon there with his son Cameron aged 10. They are both West Ham supporters and the young lad proudly wears the full Hammers kit with the word Carroll emblazoned on the back. Usually they are playing pool and as soon as I walk in there is a cry of "Spurs are rubbish !" from Cameron. I shake my fist at him and he smiles cheekily.
I always take my android tablet with me so I can watch a stream showing the Spurs match and usually have a few gather around. On the pub TV will be Sky Football Latest. The channel I watch is always a couple of minutes behind real time and my little friend soon realised this. Whenever it flashed on screen that West Ham had scored he would drop his pool cue and run to where I was standing asking to see the goal. I always obliged no matter what was happening in the Spurs game. I remember once allowing him to see virtually the whole of the first half of a hammer's match, much to the annoyance of my fellow Spurs fans. He had a vitality and spirit about him that was infectious. Everyone in the bar knew him and liked him....he was what you would call a loveable rogue, never too cheeky or overstepped the mark but just had a way of making you smile.
Last weekend I walked into the bar and it was 'end of the season' quiet, with hardly anyone in. I ordered a pint and noticed a glass tankard on a bar shelf bearing the words "Cameron". I presumed it was a sponsorship collection of some sort and then I saw "In Honour Of" underneath his name. The landlord explained that the boy had contracted viral meningitis a couple of days earlier and had died within 6 hours of diagnosis. I cannot explain to you my emotional reaction at the news, shock, anger and a whole myriad of others. Later on his father came in and I shook his hand. All I could say was "I'm so sorry, I have no words". He nodded in understanding and walked away.
Since that day one question burns in my mind....Why ?. Here was a young football supporter who lived for his team and brought so much sunshine into other people's lives. Next season the pub will seem like a desert without his laughter and smile. What possibly justification was there in this life being so cruelly taken ?
So next time you feel life is unfair and you are in some way being unjustly treated, come back to this posting and read it again. I apologise for such a sad story but it was one that I needed to tell, if only to remind myself how fortunate I am compared to many others.
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