Imagine you know me. Imagine you’ve known me all your life, either because I’m your friend’s mum or your mum’s friend or a close neighbour. This is the story of such a person; someone you know quite well…
This story happened four years ago. It’s the story of the worst day of my life.
My husband worked down a coal mine. He started at the pit when he was 16, just leaving school. He could have been a Draughtsman, he’d been offered that job, but the job of an Apprentice Electrician at the pit (coal mine) meant an extra £3 in his pocket every week and he took that job instead.
We met and started seeing each other while I was still at school (16) and he was 19. We’ve been together ever since.
He worked his way up the ranks and at the age of 25, on his birthday, he became the youngest Assistant Electrical Engineer in the country – ever. Because legislation stated an Assistant Electrical Engineer must be 25 or older, he really was the youngest and no one would be able to beat that record.
Fast forward another 25 years. He’d left the industry, set up a business (more of that later) and was then offered another chance at the pit (coal mines). Because we had two young children and the business relied upon people paying him, and because the people weren’t always reliable and on time with payment, he took the job. He was not taken on at his previous position, he went back as an Electrician.
He had to work his way back up to the position in management as Assistant Electrical Engineer, but hard work is nothing he’s not used to and within a short time, he’d moved up again and moved on to a bigger coal mine.
In case you don’t know, Mining was one of the most dangerous occupations, second only to the military. He’s come home and called in at the hospital to get wounds tended to before now. It’s a filthy and dangerous job, but he loved it.
In May, at the age of 50 (in the January) my husband, the father of my two children, my soul mate, the love of my life was underground, alone. He had a heart attack and had to fight his way through the tunnels to find someone to help him. It took more than an hour to walk 1km or thereabouts, as I said, alone. I cannot imagine what he was going through. When he finally found a group of men, they then had to stretcher him out of the mine. Another lengthy procedure.
The ambulance was waiting when they finally got topside. He was taken to hospital and someone phoned me to let me know.
The words: “Don’t worry too much,” do NOT help.
I’m a great believer in trying not to worry about something you can’t help, but try as I might, I couldn’t NOT worry.
When I got to the hospital I couldn’t find him. All kinds of things went through my mind, most of which were thoughts that I’d lose him before getting to say ‘Goodbye’.
We were lucky. We were so fortunate that I can’t believe it sometimes. My husband is still here. The massive heart attack he’d had left him with no damage. He didn’t even have to have surgery or stents.
He no longer works at the pit. We have no mines left here in England. But would he still be working there if they hadn’t closed? Despite the dangerous and filthy conditions, despite the injuries, I know that yes he would still be working there. It’s a community in the mines. ‘Workin’ dahn t’pit’ is a way of life and England is a poorer place for the loss of our coal mines.
Click here to hear a snippet of Derbyshire dialect
You don’t know me, not many people on Steemit do. My platform was Facebook, that’s where I came from when I joined Steemit almost a month ago.
On FB I have a good few followers, a number of actual, real-life friends - some of whom are friends because we’ve met through FB, and a lot of friends I’ve not yet met.
Those friends and followers on FB know my relationship with my husband. Some of you on Steemit may have seen some of it too.
You guys don't know me, but this is one of my stories from my life. This kind of thing happens every day to people just like us - you and me - people lose their soul mates, their reason for living.
Tell someone you love how much they mean to you - do it today, do it now <3