The "tragicomic" things of life

Despite the title this is quite a sad post... A post that describes how disconcerting certain things can get...

Last night I got a call to go out and support a fire victim through a British Red Cross service we offer in conjunction with the fire brigades.

On arrival the fire was extinguished, the old lady whose house went up in smoke was with a neighbour and a friend looking after her and all that was left from the horror was just a river of water running from her flat, the charred walls and an acre smell of smoke.

Tragic - that something like this was done on purpose!
Tragic - that this poor lady has endured molestation from this other person for over 20 years.
Tragic - that there are people out there that would go to any extent to get what they want and when they don't succeed they retaliate in the most awful way.

Comic - it was done by a guy well past his 70's who apparently wants an affair with her!

Don't find it comic? I did...
As a matter of fact I had to get away from the scene to go and laugh quietly for a moment.
You don't understand? I'll explain...

Providing this service we see horrid things, families left without anything but the clothes they are wearing (sometimes not even much of that), people who are left stranded, with no place to go they can call their own, sometimes rejected by relatives because of a baby or a pet they have (yes, it has happened right before my eyes!) shivering in the cold, 90% of the times it happens while it's raining as weather doesn't care about poor people out on the street...

Most of the times we have people in our van, we give them what we can, keep them warm, listen without interrupting because from a starting silence a flow of emotion (and possibly tears) usually erupts.

But tonight I heard the story of this lady who was at the Bingo with a friend and came home to find her flat grilled by an older guy who just can't bare to be rejected... I was very supportive but then I left.

This is my way of coping with what I saw, we all have one...
Some of the fire fighters were discussing exactly the same!
Stereotypically a man like this should be at the pub with mates, or walking a dog, or betting on football as the greatest thrill but no, for passion he set fire to his "object of lust" 's flat...
Good grief!

Don't judge me badly... The private chuckle wasn't due to lack of respect for the lady (that's why it was kept private for starters) but my way of dealing with these things I face as I provide support to people...

Once home I took a shower to get the smell of smoke out of my hair and thinking I would have never seen the day in which I would be thankful for Bingo Halls but there it was, that day...

And another smile surfaced safe in the knowledge that at least the lady was unharmed though she didn't win anything...