A man is sitting in a hospital room. there is a another man in the room also, but he cannot see him because there is a curtain between the beds. the first man is recovering from surgery, while the other man, who is on the opposite side of the door, near the window, is dieing. the man recovering from surgery, who cannot get up or even raise his head tells his roomate his name; 'my name is Robert, what is yours?' the man by the window lifts his head and looks in the direction of where he believes Robert to be and says, " hello Robert, my name is Bruce." Robert feels a pain in his arm from the IV and says to Bruce; " you know Bruce. . . I don't think that I will ever leave here, I don't think that I will ever feel the sun in my face or see birds flying above my head." . . . Bruce says in a reassuring voice 'Oh sure you will, I can tell in your voice, you are strong, you are a fighter, I bet you faught in the war for the marines?' Robert tries to sit up but cannot, he turns his head on the pillow to face Bruce, . . "how did you know I fought with the Marines?" " just a lucky guess I suppose"
And so Bruce and Robert spend most of the day talking and swapping war stories. Although Bruce did not fight in the war, he did work in a factory that supported the effort. they talk about their families and discover that they are both widowers. they are so engorged in their conversation that they both leave their lunch's untouched, until the nurse came around for the 3rd time to remind them to eat. . . . . Robert asks Bruce if he knows the time, . . and then a mechanical sound says '4:36 pm' wow that is a cool watch Bruce, hey Bruce is the sun setting yet? after a moments pause . . . " why yes it is Robert, it is beautiful outside, I see birds flying. . . there are children playing. . . wow look at that car! they sure don't make them the way they used to huh? . . . . 'You know Bruce, watching the sun set was always my favorite time of the day" . . . . . "mine is sun rise" Bruce says. " I wish I was by the window, what else do you see Bruce?' . . . . and for about two hours Bruce described everything that went out side the window, the people, the fauna, and the sun setting, . . . especially that! soon they both fell asleep. . . when Robert woke he looked over to his new friends bed. . . . the curtain was open now but Bruce was gone! Robert pressed the nurse call button. the nurse came. . . . "yes Mr. Grove?" ' that man, Bruce, where is he?. . . . . " he is not with us anymore, Mr. Grove" . . . ' did he get released?" . . . "no Mr. Grove, he passed away during the night" . . . . . Roberts felt an acute pain inside of him. He was incensed at the calmness of the nurse, but she probably saw people die all the time. In fact so had he, but for some reason that he could not place, he felt feelings he had not felt in years, they encroached on him and began to attack his body. . . . regaining his composure, Robert asked the nurse if she could move him to the other bed. . . . since she had already changed the sheets, the nurse agreed. . . . . but as he walked to the bed Robert noticed that the window's blinds were sealed. 'Nurse can you open those blinds on the window please?. . . . ' I am sorry Mr. Grove, but those blinds do not open' . . . . " Robert looked at her very suspiciously. . . but yesterday the man that was here, Bruce was looking out the window and describing the scenes he saw to me.'
the nurse laughs. . . (lol) "I am sorry for laughing, Mr. Grove, you see Bruce was Blind!! he was born Blind and has never seen at all his entire life! Robert looked at the nurse, " but that cannot be possible, how could he describe all the people and cars and birds?" the nurse smilled at Robert. . . . " you see Mr. Grove you don't always need your eyes to see what is in front of you! . . some of the most beautiful things in this world are not what you can see and touch, not the things in reality. . .but how you imagine them to be! Robert sat down in Bruce's old bed just as a new patient was brought into the room. . . the nurse pulled the curtain shut as she left. . . Robert looked to where he figured his new roomates head would be and said. . . "wow! you should see how beautiful it is outside!! do you want me to describe it for you!!! " the new man said his name was Jim and that would be terrific because he thought that he might die soon. . . . Robert said; " oh no you are not!. . I can tell from your voice that you are a fighter!! and Robert spent the rest of the day imaging his universe and re-creating it for Jim. . . . . .
And so Bruce and Robert spend most of the day talking and swapping war stories. Although Bruce did not fight in the war, he did work in a factory that supported the effort. they talk about their families and discover that they are both widowers. they are so engorged in their conversation that they both leave their lunch's untouched, until the nurse came around for the 3rd time to remind them to eat. . . . . Robert asks Bruce if he knows the time, . . and then a mechanical sound says '4:36 pm' wow that is a cool watch Bruce, hey Bruce is the sun setting yet? after a moments pause . . . " why yes it is Robert, it is beautiful outside, I see birds flying. . . there are children playing. . . wow look at that car! they sure don't make them the way they used to huh? . . . . 'You know Bruce, watching the sun set was always my favorite time of the day" . . . . . "mine is sun rise" Bruce says. " I wish I was by the window, what else do you see Bruce?' . . . . and for about two hours Bruce described everything that went out side the window, the people, the fauna, and the sun setting, . . . especially that! soon they both fell asleep. . . when Robert woke he looked over to his new friends bed. . . . the curtain was open now but Bruce was gone! Robert pressed the nurse call button. the nurse came. . . . "yes Mr. Grove?" ' that man, Bruce, where is he?. . . . . " he is not with us anymore, Mr. Grove" . . . ' did he get released?" . . . "no Mr. Grove, he passed away during the night" . . . . . Roberts felt an acute pain inside of him. He was incensed at the calmness of the nurse, but she probably saw people die all the time. In fact so had he, but for some reason that he could not place, he felt feelings he had not felt in years, they encroached on him and began to attack his body. . . . regaining his composure, Robert asked the nurse if she could move him to the other bed. . . . since she had already changed the sheets, the nurse agreed. . . . . but as he walked to the bed Robert noticed that the window's blinds were sealed. 'Nurse can you open those blinds on the window please?. . . . ' I am sorry Mr. Grove, but those blinds do not open' . . . . " Robert looked at her very suspiciously. . . but yesterday the man that was here, Bruce was looking out the window and describing the scenes he saw to me.'
the nurse laughs. . . (lol) "I am sorry for laughing, Mr. Grove, you see Bruce was Blind!! he was born Blind and has never seen at all his entire life! Robert looked at the nurse, " but that cannot be possible, how could he describe all the people and cars and birds?" the nurse smilled at Robert. . . . " you see Mr. Grove you don't always need your eyes to see what is in front of you! . . some of the most beautiful things in this world are not what you can see and touch, not the things in reality. . .but how you imagine them to be! Robert sat down in Bruce's old bed just as a new patient was brought into the room. . . the nurse pulled the curtain shut as she left. . . Robert looked to where he figured his new roomates head would be and said. . . "wow! you should see how beautiful it is outside!! do you want me to describe it for you!!! " the new man said his name was Jim and that would be terrific because he thought that he might die soon. . . . Robert said; " oh no you are not!. . I can tell from your voice that you are a fighter!! and Robert spent the rest of the day imaging his universe and re-creating it for Jim. . . . . .
