Incident

This happened to me on a Tuesday morning. I was at my friend's apartment eating my early lunch when suddenly my friend and I suddenly heard a loud "THUMP" outside. We ignored it at first thinking that someone dropped something from the upper level. But not long after that, someone from downstairs shouted in BM, "Ada orang jatuh!! orang jatuh!!"

Out of curiosity we went out and have a look towards downstairs. We saw an old man lying on the zinc from the first floor. Without much thinking my friend locked her door and both of us ran downstairs to find out more. Upon reaching the first floor, the whole scenario became even clearer. Wild guesses was the uncle fell from high level and was fortunately saved by the zinc roof. However it scared the people working below it as there were workers of the restaurant that operates at the ground floor right under the roof. The uncle that was lying unconscious. His skin around his arms and leg was wounded from the sharp edges of the zinc.

It made me start to wonder...

Is he a resident here?
Did the uncle lost consciousness while leaving from his home and fell over the railing?
Is he all alone here?

I started to think...

I should do something and I have to do it fast! he is lying there, in danger, that roof may not be able to hold him long enough.
Somebody should do something as well. help him up maybe? Call for ambulance?
I am someone who always like to help people, this the opportunity, why am I not doing anything?

That moment of time I had an internal battle of myself. The Id and Ego appeared inside me.

A good samaritarian who happened to be there quickly grab his phone and dialed for ambulance. He spent almost 10 minutes explaining the scenario over the phone.

But it took a very long time before the ambulance came and the uncle finally got his consciousness and started move around. Me and my friend worried that the zinc may collapse and so we tried to stop him from moving. Speaking in Mandarin then Cantonese to the uncle, he seems like he wasn't able to hear nor understand what we were trying to tell him. Maybe he was still suffering from dizziness.

One of the resident who was curious went up floor by floor to trace back how did the uncle end up falling down found out that his slipper was nicely arranged on the 8th floor and made a conclusion that he decided to suicide.

The thought of it made me want to help him even more. Soon after that people from the restaurant got ladder and other resident threw cushions down to prepare a soft landing spot for the uncle just in case he fell.

In a matter of minutes the uncle started ignoring what we were telling him and he started to move trying to climb up. I couldn't take it anymore and I quickly ran to the ground floor and take a look at the structure of the zinc roof and told the people to give support below it so that i can climb above the zinc and help the uncle up.

Many of them felt that it was not ok to help him up as he fell from 8th floor and may have internal injury and further more the zinc may not support both our weight.

I knew that helping him up was the right thing to do. I told myself that. I looked around and nobody seems like they want to give a helping hand.

I climbed over the side of the wall on to the zinc and successfully pull the uncle up with the help of another foreigner who came to help.

I felt the exhaustion of helping the uncle up all over my body, but my heart and mind told me that it was worth it. At that moment I really felt like shedding tears.

After climbing over the wall, the other residents placed him lying on the floor and found a note in his pocket. It turned out to be a will written by the uncle.

When I knew about the will was already prepared earlier by the uncle, so much thoughts came into my mind. 

First thing was I felt choked up and my eyes became watery.

Why would this uncle choose to end his life? 

Why would he write such heartbroken letter and placed it with him? Where are his loved ones?

he thought of my grandmother also came into my mind. I silently asked myself.. Why?

But still, no matter what, what the uncle did to himself gave me a proper chance to reflect on my own life as well. There are so many kinds of people in the world. Some that are optimistic, some pessimistic. Some of those that are unable to accept the fate of their lives and chooses to end them while leaving their loved ones behind.

My mother's mother, which is also my grandmother, who is currently reaching the age of 80 years old still active and kicking is so positive and optimistic about her life. She said that if she leaves the world one day, which may happen anytime, she leaves worries, sadness or negativity behind but only good thoughts and happiness as her memories. I wonder why didn't this uncle thought the same way...

It struck me that after this incident that soon after I finish with my studies I want to get job, or maybe a hobby that is committed in helping people, to give them enough love and care and also time. There are uncountable problems that we face in the world, every second every minute every day, and I believe that every one of it has a solution. So love your live. I swear that I will love mine and cherish every moment of it.

P/S: Inside his letter he wrote that he is suffering from Cancer and he doesn't want to live anymore. He apologizes to his wife, and his sons. He even wrote his name, Identity Card Number and full address as well as his son's phone number.