I’m going to talk about my brother, as he’s recently disappeared and sent his wife and our mum, what reads like a suicide note.
Mike left school at 16 and joined the merchant navy – he spent years floating around the world, visiting all sorts of amazing places, places I will never get the opportunity to see or experience. He returned home for a few years, always finding gameful employment, before realising another dream of his to join the Metropolitan Police Force. He worked in the Met for a few years, and while there met his now wife, Sally. They fell in love and were married on a beach in St. Lucia. He left the Met. after an unpleasant and violent attack and took a job with Vodafone. He and Sally settled in a place in Welwyn Garden City – they have a huge amount of very good friends and Sally has a large and supportive family. Idyllic is the word that springs to mind.
Mike developed a gambling addiction, spending hundreds of pounds a week on fruit machines. With Sally’s help, he overcame his addiction, re-mortgaged his house and payed off his debts. Now a few years later it seems he’s been gambling again, lying to his closest family and friends, started drinking to excess to the extent that he has become a fully fledged alcoholic. In debt again, with a drink problem, he crashed his car on the way up to Scotland for a scheduled business trip. He never arrived at his hotel and during the police interview – told them he’d left his wife. He has only contacted Sally and mum once since the crash – sending both a simple note saying he can no longer go on living like this.
We know he is still alive and we know he’s in a lot of trouble. Vodafone have told us they will give him his job back, if he gets in touch with them, but he seems to have buried his head in the sand. I’m hoping he’s not aware of the pain and anguish that his loved ones are going through right now – especialy mum. His life up to now has been full and inspirational, okay he’s had his ups and downs, but a bit of debt and a drink problem are easily overcome with the kind of support that Mike has waiting at home.
All he needs to do is get in touch, stop hiding/running away or what ever it is he’s doing.
Mike – if by any chance you do see this, at least get in touch with mum and let her know that you’re alive.