At work, a few years back, I befriended a man named Robert (Bob).
One of those guys that within seconds of meeting him, you knew he was a very lonely man, shy at the beginning but if someone spoke to him first, boy, he would talk nonstop. I guess it was because he had no one to talk to after he left work. He had no family, very few friends, 2 cats, an ex-wife and a heart of gold. He was also a very sick man. He had diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition.
He always wondered why I always traveled to the DR. He always said that my DR stories were very happy. He always told me he knew could tell when I was going to the DR, my face said it all, he said. One day he told me that he would love to be as happy as I.
One day he saw me looking at some DR1 real estate properties and he could not believe his eyes on how cheap they were. I showed him DR1 "Media Gallery" and the guy could not stop smiling. He said that everybody looked so happy.
After that I introduced him to the Forums and the man got hooked. He even got himself a laptop so he could read DR1 from home. He became a DR1 lurker. Now I had someone telling me what was happening on DR1 every day (as if I needed it, lol).
What amazed me the most is that he would talk about DR1 members by name. He would say things like: "AZB started a thread today" or " man, Rick Snyder knows his Trujillo stuff" or "you and "such and such" are at it again". He always wondered why I am so completely different here.
All of a sudden, he wanted to know EVERYTHING about the DR, the people, the food, how people lived, what was done for fun, the cost of living, everything. I told him as much as I could and also told him to keep on reading DR1's Living, Rendezvous Point, Trip Report and other forums.
He familiarized himself so well that one day he told me that when he retired, that he would love to go to the DR with me to see if he can live there. He wanted me to show him around and to take him to a few places he noticed many DR1 members liked, like AZB's Santiago (he called it just like that). He asked me if I was willing to ask my relocated American friends to help him out while there. He also said that if he liked it enough, he was going to take it slow, that he would just visit for a few weeks every other month just to see if he could adapt. He said that if after one year of visiting, that if he was comfortable enough, he would move over there permanently!.
When I told him that it would not be easy to relocate to a 3rd third country and that he should not forget about the "pros and cons", all he said was that he lived a lonely life for more than 60 years and that it was time for him to risk it all and have some fun before he died. He basically did not wanted to die a lonely man.
Before he retired, he said to me something like: I have the money, I have the big house, I have the cars, I have the American dream but I have nobody to share it with. He said he would sell everything and relocate if he liked it enough. He told me that if he liked the DR, that he would do some volunteer work and help a few charities. He said he would not work or start a business since it was "me time". He just wanted a house by the beach and some happy times.
I told him that if he liked it, my American friends in the DR would help him with everything he needed.
Bob retired at the end of June and kept in contact with a weekly call or visit. He told me that he needed a few months to settle in order to put his affairs in order and that he would call me to ask me when we could go to the DR.
I called Bob and told him that I was going to the DR on September 2nd but that I was going with some friends just to relax. I mentioned that since some of my friends were leaving in 4 or 5 days, that I would be available for a few days is he wanted. He said that it was not a good idea because he was going to Las Vegas with his ex-wife.
We decided that on my next trip, that we would go. We agreed to go on December. He was very, very happy.
He was like a kid in a candy store. He would call just to tell me how happy he was, how he could sell his home for 800,000 dollars (actually, I think he could get much more than that), how he would take his 2 cats with him, how happy he would be just having new friends, etc, etc.
The bottom line is that I have never seen that man happier. I knew that with the right network in the DR, he would be more than fine.
The day before I left to the DR, he dropped by work and told me to have a great trip and that "soon I will be Dominican just like you". He seemed so happy every time he spoke about the DR.
Before I left to the DR, I had started a thread, here, where I said that I was going to leave my cell phone behind.
I got home from the DR last night (Sunday) and the first thing I did was turn my cell on. To my surprise I had a few calls from someone whom, now, would only call me if something was wrong. Not everybody knew I was not going to take my cell with me.
My co-worker Dennis had left me a few messages on my cell.
Well, Bob suffered a heart attack and died at home on September 6th!. A little over 2 months after retiring and 3 months before going to the DR!.
Since talking and thinking about the DR made him happy, I only hope that my friend was thinking about the DR before he passed.
He will be missed!.
(First my nephew, then my relative, then my friend, God, am I cursed or something?). That's life, I guess!.
One of those guys that within seconds of meeting him, you knew he was a very lonely man, shy at the beginning but if someone spoke to him first, boy, he would talk nonstop. I guess it was because he had no one to talk to after he left work. He had no family, very few friends, 2 cats, an ex-wife and a heart of gold. He was also a very sick man. He had diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition.
He always wondered why I always traveled to the DR. He always said that my DR stories were very happy. He always told me he knew could tell when I was going to the DR, my face said it all, he said. One day he told me that he would love to be as happy as I.
One day he saw me looking at some DR1 real estate properties and he could not believe his eyes on how cheap they were. I showed him DR1 "Media Gallery" and the guy could not stop smiling. He said that everybody looked so happy.
After that I introduced him to the Forums and the man got hooked. He even got himself a laptop so he could read DR1 from home. He became a DR1 lurker. Now I had someone telling me what was happening on DR1 every day (as if I needed it, lol).
What amazed me the most is that he would talk about DR1 members by name. He would say things like: "AZB started a thread today" or " man, Rick Snyder knows his Trujillo stuff" or "you and "such and such" are at it again". He always wondered why I am so completely different here.
All of a sudden, he wanted to know EVERYTHING about the DR, the people, the food, how people lived, what was done for fun, the cost of living, everything. I told him as much as I could and also told him to keep on reading DR1's Living, Rendezvous Point, Trip Report and other forums.
He familiarized himself so well that one day he told me that when he retired, that he would love to go to the DR with me to see if he can live there. He wanted me to show him around and to take him to a few places he noticed many DR1 members liked, like AZB's Santiago (he called it just like that). He asked me if I was willing to ask my relocated American friends to help him out while there. He also said that if he liked it enough, he was going to take it slow, that he would just visit for a few weeks every other month just to see if he could adapt. He said that if after one year of visiting, that if he was comfortable enough, he would move over there permanently!.
When I told him that it would not be easy to relocate to a 3rd third country and that he should not forget about the "pros and cons", all he said was that he lived a lonely life for more than 60 years and that it was time for him to risk it all and have some fun before he died. He basically did not wanted to die a lonely man.
Before he retired, he said to me something like: I have the money, I have the big house, I have the cars, I have the American dream but I have nobody to share it with. He said he would sell everything and relocate if he liked it enough. He told me that if he liked the DR, that he would do some volunteer work and help a few charities. He said he would not work or start a business since it was "me time". He just wanted a house by the beach and some happy times.
I told him that if he liked it, my American friends in the DR would help him with everything he needed.
Bob retired at the end of June and kept in contact with a weekly call or visit. He told me that he needed a few months to settle in order to put his affairs in order and that he would call me to ask me when we could go to the DR.
I called Bob and told him that I was going to the DR on September 2nd but that I was going with some friends just to relax. I mentioned that since some of my friends were leaving in 4 or 5 days, that I would be available for a few days is he wanted. He said that it was not a good idea because he was going to Las Vegas with his ex-wife.
We decided that on my next trip, that we would go. We agreed to go on December. He was very, very happy.
He was like a kid in a candy store. He would call just to tell me how happy he was, how he could sell his home for 800,000 dollars (actually, I think he could get much more than that), how he would take his 2 cats with him, how happy he would be just having new friends, etc, etc.
The bottom line is that I have never seen that man happier. I knew that with the right network in the DR, he would be more than fine.
The day before I left to the DR, he dropped by work and told me to have a great trip and that "soon I will be Dominican just like you". He seemed so happy every time he spoke about the DR.
Before I left to the DR, I had started a thread, here, where I said that I was going to leave my cell phone behind.
I got home from the DR last night (Sunday) and the first thing I did was turn my cell on. To my surprise I had a few calls from someone whom, now, would only call me if something was wrong. Not everybody knew I was not going to take my cell with me.
My co-worker Dennis had left me a few messages on my cell.
Well, Bob suffered a heart attack and died at home on September 6th!. A little over 2 months after retiring and 3 months before going to the DR!.
Since talking and thinking about the DR made him happy, I only hope that my friend was thinking about the DR before he passed.
He will be missed!.
(First my nephew, then my relative, then my friend, God, am I cursed or something?). That's life, I guess!.
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