Coming out of insanity

This is a story I wrote on 11 April 2004. I found it while cleaning up some old stuff my sister gave me back from her apartment. enjoy!

Coming out of insanity (that is the old title.. I'd like to rename it "Bob")
*dedicated to all the Bob's who found happiness*

His name was not Bob, at least I don't think it was. Well, it might have been Bob, but I highly doubt it. Bob was found wantering the streets, holding on to a piece of paper, a leaflet that was pass to him, no doubt during his wanderings. A full grown man, about 35, I'm guessing, walking alone on the streets. That's not uncommon, at least where I come from. But for Bob, it was different. He was 'special', that's the nice way for talking about someone with mental disabilities.

He came to our Home at about 5.04 am. I remember it clearly, as the cool morning breeze blew and the neighbourhood was not up yet, a car pulled up and a young gentleman got out and had Bob on his arm. Bob looked happy but confused. The young man, I never caught his name, explained it might be safer if he left 'Bob' here with us. The young man, of course didn't know what to do with him, but he had a kind heart and didn't want Bob to be left in the streets. Of course, this young man did not call Bob, Bob, so let me just tell you how Bob got his name.

I saw Bob sitting in his chair one day, eyes glazed and looking at nothing in particular, with a huge grin plastered on his face. I decided to 'talk' to Bob for a bit. Bob looked like a Bob to me so ... I looked into an empty box in the room, I called out "Bob... Bob! are you in there?"

Bob didn't take the bait. He didn't stir.

I called out again.. this time looking under the chair and tables, "Bobbbb.... can you hear me?" "Where did you go?"

Bob's attention shifted slightly as he looked at this crazy girl who was looking for something or someone named Bob.

I turned to Bob and asked him earnestly... "Have you seen Bob?" and gave him a big smile.

Bob looked back with his wide eyes, goofy grin intact, and shrugged.

That's the speciality about Bob, his smile. I will never forget his toothy grin that would melt any heart and from that momment, he was Bob.

We figured that Bob may have gotten lost from his family as he looked pretty well cared for someone his age. But we never knew for sure. We looked in newspapers and local listings for missing people but non appeared matching Bobs description. Bob on the other hand was getting on smoothly at the Home. Spending most of his time in the world of his own, his regular chuckles and gleeful giggles would echo through the halls as he watched futterflies fly free. He had such a passion for nature. He kived tge treesm plants and even the grass.

I sat with Bob, watching him take in breaths of air direct from the leaves as he indicates the best ways to breathe to me. I watched him, as he has a limited vocabulary, yet his actions spoke louder than anything anyone could say. His exuberance for life was simply breathtaking yet he was blissfully unaware of everyday surroundings. He merely lived for momment.

I watched Bob filled with pure happiness blissfully ignorant of everything else whilst I pondered upon my own life. Perhaps Bob was int he right world. The world created by him where only what he cared for mattered. A reality created by him, for him. A nice ideal for sure, but would I ever see the perfect world he had created?

Bob left us one day, as abrupt as we had found him. Suddenly the world was without Bob and all we're left is a memory of a wide toothy grin everytime a butterfly flies free.