The Pink Suitcase

You hear the word pink suitcase and let me guess...the first thing that probably comes to your mind is that I bought myself a pink suitcase (you guys who read this and know me well, however, wouldn't even imagine that I would ever do that as pink is not one of my favourite colours)....or that this is all about some girl who's got a pink suitcase...or perhaps it is about a pink suitcase that has been missing from a flight or something....you're right, it could be something like that. I am sure some woman out there has bought herself a pink suitcase today, or that someone's missing hers - or his -  for that sake. I am sure I could make up some stories like that if that was my intention...however, what I want is to tell you about is the Man with the Pink Suitcase.

It doesn't matter when it was. Or where. It happened, and it meant something to me, that is what matters to me. If you really wanna know, it was in a pretty big city one frezzy winters day. I was hurrying to get to work, like a bunch of other people. We hid our faces behind scarves, wore warm coats and hid our hands in warm woolen mittens. I suppose most people were in their own personal worlds thinking about what this day would be like and all the appointments of this and that which had to be kept. At least I was. I also recall that I was loooonging for a hot cuppa coffee, and that was my main mission for the next five minutes. 

Suddenly I was aware of two pretty young men who maybe looked kinda "worn out"...tired...wearing perhaps not the cleanest clothes one might imagine...I had seen them before. Street guys, most likely living as close to the street as one possibly can do in this supposed-to-be- rich country of mine...I had noticed them sitting silently by a corner with a cup made of cardboard wanting some coins. The young men seemed like they tried to get attention from the passers by. They looked kinda stressed. But no one stopped. Curious as I am, I stopped, because they didn't seem dangerous or scary at all. I asked what was the matter. Then I noticed a man lieing on the ground. One of the guys told me he wasn't breathing, that they needed someone to call an ambulance, but they had no money on their prepaid cards for their mobile phones to ring for. I checked the man's pulse...I couldn't feel much...I took off his scarf and anything that may help to make him breath easier...then another passers by stopped...I told him to do CPR if he knew how to as I realised I desperately needed a course to learn to do that...the man did and I managed to call for an ambulance. He got a tiny, tiny pulse...

The man's two friends thanked me and the other helper over and over for stopping, for trying to help. They began collecting the very ill man's stuff. Apparently the ill man had spent the night where he was lieing as his stuff was spread all over. That was when I noticed the Pink Suitcase. All of one man's belongings in one Pink Suitcase. There were some sorts of magazines, some clothes, a tooth brush and a charger for a mobile phone. That was all the man's belongings.

The ambulance arrived shortly after the man's two good friends had collected all of his stuff and closed the Pink Suitcase. We all made sure it came with him in the ambulance.

I don't know what happened to that man, if he is still alive to this  very day, however I do know there are many men - and women - like the Man with the Pink Suitcase and if YOU see him, say "hello" and don't be afraid to ask how he's doing.