Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One
man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to
help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's
only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his
back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and
families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military
service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the
man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by
describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the
window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour
periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the
activity and color of the outside world.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man said. Ducks
and swans played on the water while children sailed their model
boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the
rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the
city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window
described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of
the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing
by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band, he could see it in
his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with
descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head:
Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I
never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought
fermented the man felt ashamed at first. But, as the days passed and
he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and
soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable
to sleep. He should be by that window - that thought now controlled
his life.
Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the
window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The
other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the
window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across
the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have
brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes the coughing and
choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was
only silence -- deathly silence.
The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their
baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she
was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away -- no
works, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked
if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make
the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him
alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take
his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all
himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the
bed.
It faced a blank wall.