Nightfall
Golden Member
I will start at the beginning.
When I was in high school, I met someone named Ben. He was a Junior and we got along the day we met each other. He encouraged me to go out for the Cross Country team, which I did. He talked me into doing other sports while I was in high school. He looked out for me since high school was rough on me. I wasn't the most popular kid or the most liked, but he was always there for me and vice versa.
His senior year, I will never forget he came up to me the day before senior skip day and said I should skip with him and we will go to Cedar Point. We packed up the car that night and I spent the night as his place. We took off the next morning with a bunch of other seniors and had a blast at Cedar Point. I remember this day like it was yesterday.
After he graduated, we still took the time to hang out. However, he was going into the Navy Seal program and was going to be gone a couple years. We said our goodbyes not knowing if we would see each other again.
We sent a few letters back and forth, and then he was back 24 months later. His arm was broke in Seal training but he still completed the training and was a Seal for a while. He was honorably discharged after his 2 year agreement was over for medical reasons. It was still good to see him again after so long.
I was graduated by then and dating someone I knew in junior college. He started going back to school and met Melody who became his wife a year later. Their wedding decision came very fast, no ceremony. I found out they were married the day I told him I was going to transfer to a 4 year university to complete my degree. We had the most fun summer that year before I left.
When I got up to the university, it was back in 1993. I sent letters back and forth to him since he didn't have email at the time. Then, the letters stopped. I tried calling him a few times and couldn't find him. His parents moved to Arizona and knew he had left for EMT training but pretty much severed ties to them.
Time passes....
In 2000, I was with my brother in a hobby shop and I see Ben again. We talked for an hour about what happened to him, where he went, what he did, and so on. He had 2 kids, worked as an EMT, and was enjoying life. We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses as he was living 3 hours away from me.
We got a chance to see each other again a few times, but we talked mostly over email until about 2 months ago. We both have homes, jobs, families, and so on so I understood that he didn't have the time to hang out like we used to. He seemed to be doing well almost all the time I talked to exchanged emails with him. He talked about his kids and how funny they were. We would play Xbox Live together which we both agreed was a blast since we couldn't get together much anymore. Heck, I bought an Xbox for the explicit reason of playing Halo and Halo 2 with him. Even though I suck at controlling a FPS with a controller. I like the mouse/keyboard too much.
Two months ago, my emails were not being replied to which is strange. Usually he gets back with me a day or two later. I called and left a few messages and never got one return phone call. Then I find out yesterday he died. I was floored. I called his family who heard the news from his wife. Apparently, he was going through some psychological problems. He was hearing voices and it was causing him great agony. As long as he was on his medication, he was fine. Apparently, he went off his meds, left his wife, and was living with a coworker. He committed suicide in the end.
After I got the news, I was just shocked. Here was a guy that I knew since high school. I never suspected that he had those kinds of problems. He always seemed to have a level head on his shoulders. What would cause him to reach a point like this? Does this kind of thing manifest itself quickly or did he have it for years and did a good job hiding it?
Its a depressing end to a very happy friendship. Last night I couldn't sleep as I thought about all the good times we had together. My wife said I was talking in my sleep about it and kept waking her up. Today, I find myself feeling sad. Not only for the fact that he passed away, but for the fact that I never pressed him about coming over more often to see him. Being there for him so to speak. He was always there for me through my high school days which were rough. I never really returned the favor.
If there is one thing I have learned from this, it is to cherish the time you have on this planet. Really take the time to spend with your friends and family. Take nothing for granted.
Cliffs:
Met Ben in high school, became good friends.
Stuck together when he left for a few years
Still was good friends when he got back
Went to college and drifted apart again
Met each other 8 years ago and renewed our friendship
Stopped talking to me 2 months ago and committed suicide yesterday.
He was battling mental problems for a while
Questioning myself on what I could have done and why I didn't see it coming.
When I was in high school, I met someone named Ben. He was a Junior and we got along the day we met each other. He encouraged me to go out for the Cross Country team, which I did. He talked me into doing other sports while I was in high school. He looked out for me since high school was rough on me. I wasn't the most popular kid or the most liked, but he was always there for me and vice versa.
His senior year, I will never forget he came up to me the day before senior skip day and said I should skip with him and we will go to Cedar Point. We packed up the car that night and I spent the night as his place. We took off the next morning with a bunch of other seniors and had a blast at Cedar Point. I remember this day like it was yesterday.
After he graduated, we still took the time to hang out. However, he was going into the Navy Seal program and was going to be gone a couple years. We said our goodbyes not knowing if we would see each other again.
We sent a few letters back and forth, and then he was back 24 months later. His arm was broke in Seal training but he still completed the training and was a Seal for a while. He was honorably discharged after his 2 year agreement was over for medical reasons. It was still good to see him again after so long.
I was graduated by then and dating someone I knew in junior college. He started going back to school and met Melody who became his wife a year later. Their wedding decision came very fast, no ceremony. I found out they were married the day I told him I was going to transfer to a 4 year university to complete my degree. We had the most fun summer that year before I left.
When I got up to the university, it was back in 1993. I sent letters back and forth to him since he didn't have email at the time. Then, the letters stopped. I tried calling him a few times and couldn't find him. His parents moved to Arizona and knew he had left for EMT training but pretty much severed ties to them.
Time passes....
In 2000, I was with my brother in a hobby shop and I see Ben again. We talked for an hour about what happened to him, where he went, what he did, and so on. He had 2 kids, worked as an EMT, and was enjoying life. We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses as he was living 3 hours away from me.
We got a chance to see each other again a few times, but we talked mostly over email until about 2 months ago. We both have homes, jobs, families, and so on so I understood that he didn't have the time to hang out like we used to. He seemed to be doing well almost all the time I talked to exchanged emails with him. He talked about his kids and how funny they were. We would play Xbox Live together which we both agreed was a blast since we couldn't get together much anymore. Heck, I bought an Xbox for the explicit reason of playing Halo and Halo 2 with him. Even though I suck at controlling a FPS with a controller. I like the mouse/keyboard too much.
Two months ago, my emails were not being replied to which is strange. Usually he gets back with me a day or two later. I called and left a few messages and never got one return phone call. Then I find out yesterday he died. I was floored. I called his family who heard the news from his wife. Apparently, he was going through some psychological problems. He was hearing voices and it was causing him great agony. As long as he was on his medication, he was fine. Apparently, he went off his meds, left his wife, and was living with a coworker. He committed suicide in the end.
After I got the news, I was just shocked. Here was a guy that I knew since high school. I never suspected that he had those kinds of problems. He always seemed to have a level head on his shoulders. What would cause him to reach a point like this? Does this kind of thing manifest itself quickly or did he have it for years and did a good job hiding it?
Its a depressing end to a very happy friendship. Last night I couldn't sleep as I thought about all the good times we had together. My wife said I was talking in my sleep about it and kept waking her up. Today, I find myself feeling sad. Not only for the fact that he passed away, but for the fact that I never pressed him about coming over more often to see him. Being there for him so to speak. He was always there for me through my high school days which were rough. I never really returned the favor.
If there is one thing I have learned from this, it is to cherish the time you have on this planet. Really take the time to spend with your friends and family. Take nothing for granted.
Cliffs:
Met Ben in high school, became good friends.
Stuck together when he left for a few years
Still was good friends when he got back
Went to college and drifted apart again
Met each other 8 years ago and renewed our friendship
Stopped talking to me 2 months ago and committed suicide yesterday.
He was battling mental problems for a while
Questioning myself on what I could have done and why I didn't see it coming.
