When I was young, perhaps seven or eight years old, there would be a young guy who would occasionally call our number (37369!) and talk to my mother. My mother told me that he was lonely and just wanted to chat a bit. I guess that nowadays people who feel that lonely will go online to chat, but back then the options were limited. Thinking back to that over the years, I can’t help but feel incredible sympathy for people that lonely.
3 comments on “Loneliness”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Turns out, he used to call the later number (240885!) as well. He was quite devastated when he found out mom was dead.
Is it just a hypothetical sympathy? Like the one you feel for someone you see in a movie or read about in a book? Or does it extend to those you actually know as well? Perhaps even those you love but can’t seem to find the time in your busy schedule for?
It’s one of the things I admired about your mother. That she would make time, and have empathy, for some random guy who called her to chat. Most people would just get annoyed and call him creepy.