[ WP ] Cause of death : Did not want to inconvenience someone .

Mom always told me it's polite to refuse help, to go through life without bothering other people who had their own problems. I was to suck it up and deal with my problems on my own. It was to teach me discipline and resilience. 
 
 I took that lesson to heart and never asked for any help. I did all of the homework myself in school. I learned to tie shoes by myself. One time when the bus driver missed my stop I just got out at the next one and walked half a mile in the rain back home. I could've asked him to stop, but he had enough problems of his own. 
 
 One day as I was walking home at sunset I was staring at my phone instead of the road and I tripped as the sidewalk ended and landed in the street. 
 
 My ankle was sprained. I was sitting on the ground, rubbing my leg. A man was coming from the opposite direction. 
 
 `` Do you need help?'' the man said. 
 
 `` Oh no, I'm fine.'' 
 
 The man looked at me for a moment, then shook his head and walked away. I tried to stand up but my leg hurt too bad and I sat back down. There were construction workers down the street but they were busy with their work. 
 
 I lay on the bare concrete and tried to crawl forward, but the concrete scrapes against my body and I ca n't take the pain. I saw people in the distance walking down the sidewalk and I raised my hand and waved but they do n't see me. Oh, well. 
 
 Then I felt the concrete underneath me vibrate and I looked down the street and I saw a steam roller coming towards me. I waved my hands and I said something, but then I remembered the lesson my mother imparted on me. I tried to stand up again but my ankle really hurt and I fell down. 
 
 As the steam roller was about to crush me, I thought to myself that maybe mom was wrong. Maybe she only said those things because she did n't want me to bother her.
