h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

She is no more.


Today a man knocked at my door.
He told me he was a family member of one of the residents in the block I’m living in (15 apartments).

He asked me if he could inspect the common garage and told me why.
A lady next door had committed suicide last week. And during those days I wasn’t at home, so I heard the news today.

He experimented with a bicycle-key and concluded that one of those
had to be hers.

I gave him my phone number in case he needed someone for practical reasons. I do live here for more then ten years.
“She” lived here for fifteen years.
According to the information of the man, she had studied philosophy.


In all those years I had never met her in the community-garage, while
I do live next door of the garage.
I rarely spoke with her. About one or two times a year.

She had a kind of “silence” in and around herself.

When we met in town, we always looked at each others and said “hello” and she expressed her greeting mainly by widening her eyes in these rare moments.


And now suddenly she is no more. It feels absolute and absurd.
I cannot cope with her sudden death.
What impresses me most during the day, is the long and lonely road that leaded to her final act.

As I see it, this woman (about 35) had the courage to take her life as her only option of a dignified farewell.

I will try to remember her as she was; calm, sensitive, polite, quiet,
Lonely and probably very strong. But “trying” doesn’t make any sense
in these circumstances.

She probably carried her burden for so many, many years. How very strong she must have been.


When I was in town today ,I saw an announcement about an opera from Henry Purcell, “Dido and Aeneas”
It reminds me of the very impressing final song;
“Remember me, but not my fate”.


Farewell, lady next door.


Alfredo,


June 2005