My Invisible Disability Greg Noack Page 4 of 4

“No he isn’t. He isn’t back from work yet, which is strange. Have you heard from him?” Allison mistook Kim for my stepsister, Tonja, which made Kim panic.

“This is his sister Kim, from Windsor. Why would I have heard from him?”

“Oh, Kim. I thought you were Tonja.”

“Where is Greg? Is everything all right?”

Allison explained to Kim how I planned to walk home from work last night and was home usually at around six or seven. Kim started to panic and told Allison to call her when I got in. Kim started to voice her concerns to my brother, my other sister, and father, all of who lived in Ontario. She also talked to my mother, who already knew something was up from talking to Allison and was on her way to Victoria from the mainland.

“Victoria Police Department.”

“Hello, my name is Allison, and I am concerned about my roommate.”

“Has he been missing for more than twenty-four hours?”

“No, he has not. But he is usually home from his job by six or seven in the morning, and it is ten o’clock.”

“Maybe he is at a friend’s.” The dispatcher had taken hundreds of these calls before, but this conversation with Allison seemed to have her attention, in spite of her stock answers.

“He is fairly new to Victoria and does not have any real close friends out here. Plus, he would call me and let me know.”

“What about family?”

“He has step-family, but I have already contacted them.” With all the questions the dispatcher was asking, Allison started to realize that something was up. The police did not usually show concern until a day passed.

“Can you give a description of your roommate and tell me where he worked.”

“He is about five eight, slim but built, and weighs about one hundred and seventy pounds. He was wearing green jeans, a burgundy denim jacket over a green fleece pullover, and his blue work shirt. He was also wearing gloves and a hat.”

“Where does he work?”

“He works as a janitor at one of the fancy hotels downtown.”

“Okay. We will get back to you if something comes up, and if twenty-four hours goes by without hearing from him, we will file a missing person’s report.”

After giving the dispatcher our phone number, Allison waited. The reason they took Allison’s concerns seriously was that they had discovered a body on the Gorge Bridge earlier that morning that fitted my description. Allison’s exact description was important because that body was I and my means of identification, which was in my wallet, was on the toilet tank in my bathroom.

I was taken to the Jubilee General Hospital with severe head injuries and a small laceration over my left eye. I was unconscious and once examined by the doctors at that hospital, I was transferred to Victoria General Hospital’s neurological ward. I had fallen into a coma.

“Hello Allison, this is the Victoria Police. Does your roommate have any photo identification?”

“As a matter of fact, his wallet, which contains his driver’s license, is here.”

“Okay, we will send over some officers.”

Within minutes, Allison gave my ID to the police, and they identified me as the victim of an assault that could ultimately be a homicide. They returned with my identification and broke the news to Allison. As the officer handed my wallet to Allison, he said, “Allison, did Greg know anyone near the Gorge Road Bridge?”

Allison knew that bridge because it was located just down our street, and the last thing she heard from me was that I was going to jump from it. She began to weep uncontrollably, thinking I had taken my own life.

“No, no he is okay. He was beaten up pretty badly and was found on that bridge,” the officer said.

Allison was able to compose herself and was relieved that I was alive and did not take my own life. She then took down what hospital I was at and contacted my family and friends. She was quite calm for the situation she was in. Because I had said those stupid things the previous night, and without knowing how severely beaten I was, she found the mere fact that I was alive a calming influence.

She waited for my mother, who was on her way from the mainland as soon as Allison stated that I was not home that morning. When she arrived, she and Allison and my stepfather, Brian, went to the hospital, not knowing what to expect. The only thing they knew was that I was alive. My family back East were also worried by what could have happened to their brother and son.

I had made things difficult for everyone, even the police, as I had left my wallet at home. I had left it there for this very reason, so that I could not be robbed, but then I never thought this would happen. Even if I did have my wallet on me, all I had in it was a driver’s license. I had no credit cards. If only I had seen this coming. All I ever wanted was a girlfriend and a good job. That is why I came out West. Maybe that was asking for too much, and maybe I had not realized what I already had and now could lose.

From My Invisible Disability by Greg Noack, published by Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd. Copyright © 2006 by Greg Noack. All rights reserved. http://www.adonisandabbey.com/. To view or buy the book, go to www.amazon.com.

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