The Departed

[Loz]

Today started out one of the happiest days in my time here in the Kingdom. For ages I have been missing Grapefruit juice. A little thing I grant you but, I have been drinking it all my adult life and enjoy it. Couldn't find hide nor hair of it even in Bkk. Well I mentioned it to a few folk, farang mostly and drew a blank. A young student came to talk to me in some free time she had and we got onto the subject. She thought it was funny. ANyway that was tuesday. Today she turns up with a yellow bag, inside, you guessed it, two cartons of graprefruit juice! What a little angel! She'd only been down to bangkok to pick up some homework she forgot at the weekend and while down there, done some hunting around and found that Villa Market keeps the stuff! What a kind heart!

Well that was the start of my day. at around 2:30 I got a distressed request to take the head of my department at school to the flat of another English guy who had just come back to teach at the school 3 weeks ago. the reason for the visit? He had hanged himself between 24 and 48 hours previously. THey needed someone there to check everything... I know the guy to talk to and he was a nice enough chap, fairly quiet though. I had to go to the room and check to see of there was anything obviously amiss.

I've never seen a 2 day old corpse before and the sight is truly quite horrific. Green skin, swollen hands and feet where the fluids collected before busting onto the floor. eyes wide open and a terrifying expression on his face. Barely recognisable as the man I knew. The Stench was foul and filled the corridors up to 30 feet away. His body was hanging by a sarong tied to the upper railings of his balcony, tightened no doubt due to the length of time it had suspended the weight it seemed so odd to see him glaring at us despite being long gone. Very deeply disturbing.

Nobody knows why he did this. He was seen on Tuesday night and seemed in good spirits when he left friends at the pub. He had lost his father to brain cancer earlier in the year but had returned to teaching recently first in Korea which he left after a bad experience with another couple of teachers where threats were made and people were incarcerated. He seemed happy to be back teaching here and was in high spirits about getting some written work published in Bangkok. I guess we'll never know what drove him to such a destructive act but I know he will be missed by friends and family. I feel very strongly for his mother who has now in six months lost her husband and her son. I can't begin to imagine how she will take this. I hope to god she does not have to see his corpse.

What started out a bright and cheerful day ended on a most somber note. For all those that knew him he has left a most unexpected hole. I hope he has found his peace.

Sorry if this is too gruesome for some but I can't bottle stuff up.

[Bizz]

lets hope he found his peace R.I.P.

[lazeeboy]

lets hope he found his peace R.I.P.

it takes real courage to do this to yourself ,weather of sound mind or not ,my cousin did this a couple of years ago ,no women trouble,money worries ,mental problems ,just got a rope and did it ,nobody no's why ,or has any clue after 3 years ,always a sad waste ,i dont think they realise the saddness and heartache it causes the people they leave behind ,im sure if they did they would'nt do it

[chownah]

On a happier note: Today is my dear departed mother's birthday......really.....good memories.

[donna]

what a sad story. i hope he is at peace now. it always makes me wonder what drives people to such an extreme measure, but then im not in their heads.

sympathies to his mum. poor love.

[dkstoney]

lets hope he found his peace R.I.P.

it takes real courage to do this to yourself ,weather of sound mind or not ,my cousin did this a couple of years ago ,no women trouble,money worries ,mental problems ,just got a rope and did it ,nobody no's why ,or has any clue after 3 years ,always a sad waste ,i dont think they realise the saddness and heartache it causes the people they leave behind ,im sure if they did they would'nt do it

I'll bet someone knows. They're just not talking.