They think he had a heart attack or a stroke, although it seems they don't do autopsies on older people when it seems like they died of natural causes.
I guess I'll tell you how I found out, or write it down for me, in case I want to read it later.
I got to work around 4 p.m. (I work the night shift) and around 5:20 my supervisor came over and said that my brother was trying to get a hold of me. He said he didn't want to give him my direct number because he was watching out for me. I thought that was nice, but there aren't that many things my brother would need to tell me that couldn't wait until I got out of work.
1. Lottery
2. Someone died
3. ...yeah, i guess there are only two.
Anyway, with trepedation I dialed the number from the phone on my desk and my brother told me my dad had died. They weren't sure how. He was in his friend's basement when they found him. My dad had a friend who is paraplegic and he would go over there and move stuff or fix stuff from time to time.
Anyway, the coroner's office called my mom (my parents are divorced) and my mom called my sister-in-law to make sure my brother had someone around when he found out.
She tried to do the same for me, but since I work in Bumble and they were trying to get a hold of me for a while, I guess it wasn't possible.
I told my brother I'd call him back from outside and walked out the door. It was then I realized I was hyperventilating. Doing pretty okay considering, but the shortness of breath thing isn't something that has ever happened before.
So I tried to call back and it kept going to voice mail. So I called my sister in law and my brother felt so bad that his phone wasn't ringing. It was almost comical to be sitting on the lawn at work, hyperventilating, trying to get details about my recently deceased father and not being able to get anyone on the phone. Oh, and I probably had cry face. Is there anything worse than cry face? (Besides whatever caused it, I mean?)
Anyways, I went back in and saw my boss talking to another employee in the cafeteria. I interrupted them to say my dad died and I was going home.
And I had cry face. DAMNIT.
Then I went back to my desk to turn off my computer and the girl who sits next to me had just started her shift. She asked how I was doing and probably immediately regretted it because then I had to answer, "Not so good, I just found out that my dad died."
And she ran around the desk so fast it was amazing and the next thing I knew I was getting a hug. I could have used one too, so that was nice.
She said, "Was he sick?" and I said no. And then, instantly, she got cry face too!!!! I said "oh no! don't do that! now you're gonna make me cry!"
And she said, with red-rimmed eyes, "It just makes it that much worse."
She may be right, I haven't had time to process it yet. I am glad it seems to have happened quickly, though. It would be horrible to be sick for a long time. Although I can see how it is going to be hard to have never said goodbye.
I wasn't always the best daughter. But my father will always be my father, and life seems much different now than it was a few hours ago.