A Promise You Wish Was Not Kept

Seems like  I am always getting caught up in hurricanes or disasters, well this story kinda deals with both.

You don't have to live on the coast to feel the effects of a hurricane, it travels where it wants. We just happen to have been in the traveling path a few times here. I watched as  one was blowing it's way through,. standing on the front porch you have the best view for these events.

Over time you learn to listen and watch the reports that come from the various media accounts, you stock  up on candles, ice, water propane, generator fuel and things that will see you through. Then all hell breaks loose. First you watch the sky for signs of what's to come. you feel the wind increasing, the rains starts falling, the media increases their warnings, the power goes out, the phones go out.......nothing now but the fury from the storm.
 The sounds you hear from mother natures song is quite revealing of her power. You feel the thunder as it roll, the electricity in he air from the lightning makes you tingle, the constant loud thud of old huge trees falling, the spray from sideways rain, all make quite an impressive symphony for her strength.

After several hours comes an eerie calm, a quietness prevails, only sounds are those of emergency vehicles.

Neighbors start leaving the comfort of their homes, you exchange stories and news, you don't dare venture very far from your neighborhood, not yet anyway.


It was during this latest event that I met her. Her home was damaged some what from this storm, she asked if I would give a bid for repairs for her insurance company. This was the beginning of a nice friendship.

I moved away for a year or so and was pleased to see she still lived in the neighborhood.

She came by to visit me about two weeks after I was finished moving back in. She caught me up on all the happenings while I was away.

Then......

She started telling me about her new boy friend, how he treated her meanly, cursed her, threatened her, took her phone away from her, wouldn't let her see or talk to her friends or family.....she revealed he was an alcoholic and was addicted to crack.

I asked the most common question "why don't you just leave him?"

Her answer, he threatens to kill me and members of my family if I leave, she said. He has beaten me and spat on me, cursed me, stolen my money so I couldn't go any where or do any thing, she related.

Why do you go back to him then I asked.

Cause he always promises he will change and not do those things again but within a week or two he is right back at it.

What good are cracked and unkept promises I asked....she replied with the standard I know...but...

This is a sad day for me, I will miss her, he finally kept one of his promises, I will attend her funeral tomorrow.....

Our Youth Leave Too Early.....

How do you ever go about writing about something that is truly sad,yet, still needs to be told?
This is such a story and I will try and keep it short here, I will not mention names..

I first met his Mom, we started dating. She has a 13yr old son. This story is more about him than us.

He exemplified potential, bright, handsome, world class athlete but there was an obvious dark side. Behind the smile you could feel the anger.
At first I had no idea while I was getting this feeling, as time went on, it all became much to apparent. Drugs, this very young man, was already at a very young age, under the lure of the mystique the drug world projects. Now, I am not talking about, the social drugs, such as marijuana, no, extasy,heroin, meth and  the much too accessible prescription pills.

I had no idea that our schoolchildren had such easy access to these drugs.

Last Saturday night, 12yrs of knowing and observing this young man all came to an end. During these last 12yrs I had come to the point, that he was unofficially, my adopted son. This is why it has been a very hard week for me, he is dead at 25yrs old, suddenly, no warning, just dead.

He had gone into a local convenient store, to sell the owner a sawed off shotgun. One that he had, "found". He was inebriated, pulling the gun from the case, he fumbled, hit the trigger, the gun went off, removing his head and face.

Dead. Dead at 25yrs. Two children, a 4yr old daughter and 3yr old son, are left without a father. Too often I have read about these type of events but never experiencing it first hand, it is heart wrenching to know, that this indeed is a reality.

After the memorial service, family members all gathered, pictures taken, hugs and tears are shared.
I noticed or observed, that same strange, dark glare, on the face of that small boy, that had just lost his father, the same anger that I had recognized in his fathers face, 12yrs ago. Sadness welled up inside of me that I can not describe.

When, these buyers, of "found" articles, are discovered, maybe then, I will have at least a small bit of piece.

Sorry that I have been away for so long, only to return with a sad story but felt I had to write some of my thoughts down, so as to clear my head and cleanse my emotions.....thank you.....Bob