The Layoff Killed Him

"Matt's dead," the e-mail said.

Matt used to be my brother-in-law, but he was my friend before he ever met or married my sister. Back in the '70s, I lived in a group house with him and two other guys and we threw parties, bantered endlessly and left each other scribblings on a white board.

I hadn't seen him in forever.

The last I had heard of him was about a year ago when he got laid off from a company he'd worked for since he was in his 20s. A company where all his close friends worked. After being laid off, he wouldn't return his friends' calls.

The only person he'd talk to was his sister in New England and when he stopped answering her calls last week, she got worried.

Sure enough, when they entered his house, he was dead on the couch.

Now, Matt had his vices: he always drank too much, smoked way too many cigarettes and had two completely different-sized wardrobes to accommodate his eating compulsions and major weight shifts. In time, any of these habits could have been fatal.

But realistically, we all know that it was being laid off that sent Matt over the edge. He was a victim of the recession, sure as if he'd jumped out a window. It's enough to make your heart hurt..