Track and Field Blogs - Luke Humphrey

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you’ll find me at the hospital. Not as a patient, but as an employee of the cardiology department working with folks who have had some sort of cardiac event. It’s amazing the stories I have heard and the friends I have made over the last three years. There are a few who are very close to me and have made a serious impact on my life and these fine folks have shown me what is really important in life. These guys are like family to me and I just wanted to tell you a little bit about them.

MaryAnn is this loud, opinionated woman with a heart of gold. She’ll tell you how it is, where you are wrong, all while making sure you have a hot meal to eat. MaryAnn owns a bar north of town- where the city lights don’t reach and the people seem real to me. I’ve never paid a tab there. Mainly because she tells me I need as much food as I can get. She can’t believe that I am six foot tall and weigh 140 pounds.

Debbie is MaryAnn’s sidekick. If one isn’t coming in, then you know the other one isn’t either. Debbie has had it rough and she has taught me a lot about the condition that she shares with my sister. She is prime example of taking a bad hand and making it the pot odds favorite.

Bill is a proud man. He taught me how to tie an esquire knot in my ties. I still haven’t learned how to do it myself, so I never untie them all the way. He was a marine during the Korean War and now is so mad that he can’t stand up straight. We joked the other day that we would have the same conversation tomorrow because he wouldn’t remember it took place today. I said that’s fine, because my life is on repeat, anyway.

Harold is the guy that everyone would love to call Grandpa. He’s a little nutty, but funny nutty. His mind is sharp as a tack. He’ll bring in White Castles for us every once in a while, just to make the ladies I work with mad. They’ll lecture him about diet and the such. I think he just likes the attention. Harold called me when his dog died. I felt honored that he did, because I knew that dog was the only family he had left in the house.

Trevor is a young guy with a young family. Now he’s my landlord. In my recent situation he has made sure I was ok. Said don’t pay rent for a few months if you need the money. Make sure you are squared away where you need to be. Not too many people like that anymore.

Richard is a tough old buzzard. Comes in and takes care of business. He still chops wood for his woodstove and enough extra to sell for a little cash. Doesn’t say a lot, so when he gives you advice, you listen to every word he says.

Like the core guys on the team, these guys are the glue that keeps the system together. When they are gone, I wonder if I will like going to work as much.