TheBanyanTree: Life is so dammmm Ironic

[Terri W.]

So.  We all remember the pedestrian crossing the street who was killed January 20, yes?  The handsome actor/writer named Bill, member of the local Company of Angels theater group.  My colleague and friend, Adam, reached him and stayed with him as he died after the accident.  Then had to go home in tears.

Last Saturday night, Adam was slammed into by a hit-and-run driver.  Same street, a few blocks down.  He was riding his bike home after his TJ's shift ended at midnight.  The car careened off, witnesses called 911.  Another TJs employee came upon the scene and provided police with Adam's information, etc.

Adam does not have health insurance.  It is offered by TJ's, of course, but he missed the signup window.  So, as of Sunday afternoon, he was still at County hospital, awaiting surgery.  His only family is in Florida -- a brother who is in jail, his father's trying to get there.

What a horrid mess.

We at TJs all were hatching a plan to take up a collection to help with his med bills.  But who are we kidding?  None of us has any money, either.

I came home Sunday night, sat down, and wrote an email to the Company of Angels president.  I told him about Adam's actions with Bill.  I said I knew CoA was Bill's famiy out here, just as TJs is Adam's.  CoA has just lost their local lease and has had to move to another theater (a real hard knock to them -- they have to find a new audience in a new neighborhood.  They are still close by, but they are not where they were.)  I suggested CoA put on a benefit for Adam.  I suggested I talk to our manager at TJs about handing out and posting flyers for it.  It's against TJs policy, but he approved postings about Bill's memorial service, so I might get him to approve this.  I suggested our customers would love to help, we all felt horrible about the accident.  I suggest that, since Adam was there for Bill, perhaps Bill could be some kind of angel for Adam, now.  It would be good for CoA (HERE's our new digs!), good for TJs (heroic uninsured employee needs help), good for the community (out of the ashes) and good for Adam (who deserves a break.)

The presdient emailed me back the next day saying his Board of Directors immediately said "Yes."  I took my and his emails up to the store and left them for my Captain to read.

Perhaps we can make some sense out of all this together.  Acknowledging tht we cannot undo what has been done, that careless cellphone SUV drivers will always be out there, that others feel they have no choice but to leave a bicyclist laying with a bloody compound fractured leg in the dark street.

What are the chances?