Here's to George

When I was a kid my family loved near south statesville. My grandparents were just dowm the road and my school was around the corner. There were plenty of kids in the neighborhood. My friends Tammy and Hosea and I played a lot. I would go and sit on Mott's front porch and she'd sit with me. She always had stories to tell. This story is from was told to me by my dad. I don't remember it, but I remember George.
 There was a man who lived in an apartment across the street from her. I'll call him George. I never knew his actual name. George would pace his balcony back and forth all day every day. One day, George saw me playing in the road. He also saw a car coming towards me. My parents also saw, but could not get to me. They were a few houses down the street. George was closer. He ran down his stairs and snatched me out of the way just before the car hit me. The vehicle raced by as if the person driving had no clue as to what just happened. A few seconds later my parents reached me. They thanked him and invited him over for dinner. He accepted. We had beans, biscuits, mac n cheese, and apple pie. Mama asked George how he'd been. He said he's been alright. He kept tapping his forearms all throughout supper. After dessert and talking for a bit, George thanked my parents and went home. He went back to pacing on his balcony.
I was about 2 at the time. I saw George almost every day it seemed for the next 3 years. He'd be pacing back and forth on his balcony. Some times he'd be gone for a while, but then another day he'd be there doing the same thing. Pacing. He was a good man.
One day I realized it been too long since I'd seen George. I asked my mama where he went. "Honey, George had something called paranoid schizophrenia. He hanged himself a few weeks ago and his family found him."
At the time, I didn't know really what that meant. Somedays I hopped she was wrong and I'd see him on his balcony, but I never did. Hollywood and the media would lile to have us believe that people should fear mental illness. They want people to think that they should fear others who habe mental disorders. That is dumb. George was a hero. Thanks George.
Love, A Schizophrenic