Let's play with this hypothetical situation.
Your very best friend has been diagnosed with an aggressive pancreas cancer. They have been moved over to a hospice house next to the hospital because there is no one to care for them full time at home. Halfway there the sky opens up and the rain pours down. Luckily there is no lightning, but it is the heaviest rain in a few years. You get a brief smile at the thought that even the heavens share your sorrow. Unfortunately you forgot your umbrella and you are wearing your best business outfit because of a presentation you did at work. You are very successful and have a C level title so this outfit is worth CONSIDERABLE money.
There is no parking left at the hospice house so you have to park at the hospital. Just as you are about to give up on it slacking off and getting ready to make a run for it, a shuttle bus comes by. You manage to make it to the covered bus with only barely getting wet. The driver makes a bit of small talk and even gets you to grin a bit with some silly jokes as you drive toward the hospice house. Unfortunately as you get closer he turns back to you and says "I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to cross the road in this shuttle. There is a shelter over there if you want to wait for the rain to slack before you cross the open walkway across the highway. I keep asking them to cover the walkway, but it took almost a full year for the house to save enough money to put in the walkway at all. Just as you are able to get off and run, he reaches beside him and offers you his huge golf umbrella. At first you hesitate and ask him how to return it. He just smiles and says he won it during a hospital fundraising raffle, and sure enough it has the word Hope written on it just like the name of the hospital. So he says "Its yours, when you are done perhaps someone else will need it". As you step off under the cover of the umbrella he gives you one last tip. "Be careful on the walkway, sometimes it doesn't drain well and gets slick.
As you walk to the covered bench you see there are already several people there. Only one of them is dressed nicely and his suit coat is being used as a tissue by the man nuzzled into his chest sobbing uncontrollably. He stares ahead seemingly focused on nothing with eyes void of life. Beside them sits a big well built biker and you can see some tattoos peeking out around his neck and hands. He is pinching the bridge of his nose but his eyes are shiny. At the end of the bench you see a dirty girl wearing torn and grubby clothing. She has makeup on, but it is so heavy as to look like she works on a street corner and her tears have baldy smeared it. As you get closer you see the woman shiver a bit and then the biker takes off his big jacket and places it around her shoulders. His arms are huge and covered in full length tattoo sleeves. Another few steps and you see the nicely dressed man raise the head of the one crying on him and lean in to whisper into his ear before giving him a kiss on the lips. All of the other visitors are warm and dry inside the building and it is just you 5 here.
There is no sign of the rain slacking anytime soon and it is a long walkway and keeping in mind the shuttle driver's comment it isn't safe to run across it. There is no way one could get to the hospice house without becoming completely drenched and likely ruining their outfit and perhaps even having week long snuffles. You have a big golf umbrella and could easily fit all of them under it but it would be very close quarters and these aren't the cleanest people and wouldn't be acceptable to associate with if a coworker were to see you.
Will you walk across alone? Will you share your personal space with some or all of them so they can cross with you in the dry?
Discuss below.
