Dustin (Narration)

Composition One: Narration

I can remember receiving the news like it was yesterday even though it feels like a lifetime since I last heard Dustin’s high pitched laugh. It’s still hard for me to talk about his suicide.

Even though Dustin had angelic features, such as light green eyes, dark blonde hair, and a smile that would get him out of anything, he was no angel. I remember the time he shot the windows of the bus with his B.B. gun or the time he put a flower in the ditch then gave it to the bus driver. He wasn’t too fond of the bus driver.

He was always the first to try something new. when we went to San Antonio for vacation, there was a cliff that over looked the water and we were all scared to jump. Well, everyone except Dustin that is. I guess that’s the ironic part of his death, he was the first person almost everyone at school knew who had committed suicide.

It was no later than 10:30 when, I was sitting in my Health class. I just opened the Health book, was flipping through the pages and I wasn’t paying much attention to Coach Andree’ when the intercom came on.

“Coach Andree’,” the secretary announced.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Would you please send Dara Wilson to check out?”

“Sure will.” he responded.

I got up, packed my bag, and started walking out. I smiled at my friend Beau who said “you’re so lucky.” I had no clue why I was checking out, but I knew something wasn’t right. I started thinking of all the bad things that could have possibly gone wrong. I knew my brother went out the night before and he hadn’t come home when we left for school that morning, so I was worried about that. Maybe something had happened to him was all that was racing through my mind. I didn’t even notice that Dustin was absent that day. I walked up the hall to the office, a walk that was prolonged by the impatience of my curiosity. I wanted to know why I was leaving, especially so early in the school day. When I got to the office, I saw my Nanny Lisa there, all I could think was something was wrong with my mom or dad. I could read the sadness on the secretaries faces. Nanny Lisa was facing towards them and all I could see was her wavy fire red hair. Once she realized I was behind her, she turned to me and said the words that cha...

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... a prayer for him and his family. It was a great amount of people in that hall, but not even one-fourth of the amount of people they had at the wake.

The wake was held two days later. There were hundreds of people, I never even realized how many people he had affected. Dustin’s family insisted on an open casket, to show all the children the effects of suicide, the reality of suicide. It was the saddest experience of my life. I didn’t feel as though I lost a friend, I felt like I had lost a family member.

I once thought of suicide when I was depressed, but I have now seen the tolls that suicide takes on loved ones. I now realize that life is precious and I realize that all actions have consequences. Dustin was always the first to try something new, different, or scary. His death helped me grow up, and stop being as superficial. It helped me change my opinions on suicide. I once thought of it as an only escape from life or hard times. I now see that suicide only causes more problems. I now realize that suicide is the most selfish act a person could do. Dustin taught me that and I wish I could thank him personally for that.