Because Red Was Her Favorite Color.... Like Me

The lady across the hall passed away.

No one had heard anything of her for several days. The girl above said she hadn't seen Kay out and about for at least 4 or 5 days. The police went to the girl's apartment below to see if they can use her balcony.

I went out and saw that Kay's car was parked and told the paramedics. We waited for the worse as they broke down her door to get into her apartment.

I can still hear the splintering of the wood as they cracked down the door.

Having befriended someone that adopted her as his mom away from Minnesota, it was I who gave him "the call" and to get him to notify the woman's son and daughter. My cell phone became the contact point between family and the police.

But I'm not here to write of her death. Though she died alone, I wanted to share that she was not unnoticed.

Kay was our building manager, very old and suffering from many health challenges. Many of us had offered to help her out but she liked to keep to herself most days. On the times that she was more up to sharing, she was great. And this is what I will remember of her:

Kay's favorite color was red and had her apartment painted cheerfully. Her favorite holiday was Christmas. She didn't care if it wasn't Christmas, everyday was Christmas to her. She used to sing "in the day" and liked to tell stories of her performing days.

She had a story about Stephen Sondheim that I will never know the ending...

Her favorite food was macaroni and cheese and she adored music. The most dressed up I ever saw her was for an evening out to the Hollywood Bowl with friends. She was proud of her children and worried over their health and wished she could see them more often.

She liked to keep to herself and it took time to get these little tidbits in knowing her. And though she died alone and liked to keep to herself, she did not go unnoticed.

Rest in peace... Kay