(I lost both my job and my girlfriend some time ago. I really couldn’t handle the double loss, and quickly turned to alcohol to soothe the pain, just like no-one should ever do. This escalates to full alcoholism very quickly and before I know it, my life consists of drinking at home and only leaving the flat to go to the store to pick up some more booze. I lose all of my existing social contacts as a consequence. This happens around noon, when I am terribly hungover. The doorbell rings.)
Stranger: “Hello, I represent… Oh, my, you look terrible.”
Me: “Yeah.”
Stranger: “Can I help?”
Me: “Probably not.”
Stranger: “Try me.”
(In my horrible hungover state I am unable to stand anymore and silently retreat back to my bed, and take a sip of the opened wine bottle next to it. The stranger slowly follows me.)
Stranger: “Are you okay? Is it okay if I come in?”
Me: “Knock yourself out. I don’t really care.”
(He follows me to my bedroom.)
Stranger: “Can I bring you some water or something?”
Me: “Sure, but bring a plastic bowl as well, in case I can’t keep it down.”
(He brings me water and the bowl and we start chatting. Well, as much as I am able to. I tell him how I’m going through a rough patch and don’t really see a way out of it. He listens keenly and acts sympathetic. Before I know, it’s been several hours.)
Me: “Hey, thanks for listening, but surely you have somewhere to be? I’m not actually even sure why you are here in the first place. You don’t need to listen to my pathetic whining.”
Stranger: “It doesn’t matter why I’m here. I’m here, and I am in no hurry to be anywhere else. Just open up as much as you wish to.”
(I eventually fall asleep, but it should be noted that I didn’t drink much that night, just maybe half a bottle of wine. When I wake up the stranger is still there.)
Me: “Sorry, but this is kinda creepy now.”
Stranger: “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. And did you notice you didn’t need to drink a lot yesterday?”
(I am surprised by that fact, but eventually start getting some withdrawal symptoms, such as rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and dizziness. The stranger still continues to stay by my bed. At this point he’s been there for more than 24 hours. He orders some pizza for us. This is the first solid food I’ve had in days. I try to sleep, but every time I “fall asleep,” my breathing stops, and I wake up rather violently with a feeling of falling down. He is still by my bed. At some point he must have slept on the sofa, but somehow every time I come to, he’s close by. This continues for three whole days! During which I don’t take a sip of alcohol. I am starting to get over the worst withdrawal symptoms, which I guess were not as bad as in some extreme cases. Finally I ask him:)
Me: “So, why did you come to my door in the first place?”
Stranger: “Don’t worry about it.”
(And that was it. I never asked about it again, and he never told me. Eventually I was in good enough shape for him to leave me by myself. I didn’t feel the need to drink anymore, and I didn’t. He came back to see me a couple of times, but when he felt his work was done, he disappeared. At the moment I have been sober for two months, and I have been getting back in touch with some of my friends and family. I never found out who the guy was or why he was on my doorstep. But I assume he might have been a member of a religious group, based on his actions and the fact that he could just stay with me for so many days, willy-nilly. If that’s the case, kudos to him for not throwing his beliefs in my face. I would have sent him away and gone back to my awful habits. I still can’t believe someone would take care of a complete stranger, obviously not in a very good condition, for three straight days!)
