Last night I saw a man die. I was at a parish trivia night. It was held in a gymnasium packed with people, tables and folding chairs. The gymnasium was cigarette smoky and hot. After Round One of questions a large man collapsed four tables down from my table. There was a kind of silent commotion, and then cries for someone who knew CPR.

Give him space. Give him space.

We pushed our tables back to make a wide aisle for when the paramedics would arrive. It seemed like a very long time passed. A clean-cut man in a polo shirt tucked into his jeans and clutching a briefcase defibrillator rushed across the gymnasium and dissolved into the semicircle of people that had formed around the fallen man.

Don't touch him. Don't touch him. You'll electrocute yourself.

Everyone was quietly sipping beer, munching pretzels, smoking cigarettes and waiting. Now I could not see the man, but the people on the other side of the makeshift aisle could see the man. These people across the aisle had somber looks on their faces. I noticed that these people were not munching on pretzels or sipping beer.

The paramedics marched up the wide aisle and dissolved into the semicircle. Some time passed. I saw the paramedics lift the man onto a stretcher with wheels. They slowly wheeled the man down the makeshift aisle. The man's shirt was missing. His chest and face were a deep purple. His body was as still and silent as a stone.

We pushed the tables and chairs back into their original places. The tables made grinding and squeaking sounds as we pushed them. These were the only sounds to be heard echoing about the gymnasium.

A young seminarian took to the microphone and delivered an impromptu prayer. We then recited one "Our Father," and one "Hail Mary." This was the first time in over ten years that I had recited these prayers.

Before Round Two, the emcee explained to us that the man was a parishioner. The man was a mechanic who enjoyed repairing his neighbors' lawn mowers, including the emcee's lawnmower. The man also enjoyed playing softball, and watching his son play softball.

After Round Ten, the emcee informed us that the man had not been resuscitated.