Passing
A friend of mine died last week.
I’d worked with him back in ’98 and for a couple of years. Then, I lost touch with him for almost two years. About 6 weeks ago, I helped him get a job at the last place I worked. In fact, he told me at the time that it was going to save him. He’d been at Reliant Energy and got caught in a layoff, then been out of work for more than a year.
Friday, I got a call from the headhunter who placed him, and me as well, at that job. She wanted to know if I’d heard from him because he hadn’t shown up to work for the past three days. Well, that was very, very unusual for him, so I said that I’d try to get in touch with him. I called a couple of times and tried e-mail, but never got a response. Then, yesterday before lunch, that poor headhunter had to call and tell me that his body had been found last week. Apparently, he’d been shot and killed. The police, I’m told, suspect foul play.
Based on a couple of things that he’d told me, I’m afraid that it may have been his wife. So, now, not only are his three daughters going to grow up without a father, they’re most likely not going to have a mother, either. And, what’s worse, they quite likely will have to deal with the fact that their mother killed their father.
So, it’s been a rather rough week.
I can’t really go to the funeral, but I sent flowers. His family won’t even know who I am, really, since I was just a guy who worked with him. I guess it’s hitting me hard due to the fact that he was about my age and he’s leaving behind those girls. It’s just such a tragedy. He was just getting things turned around and now, now….
Well, it’s done and there’s nothing left for me to do but pray for him. I hope he finds more peace where ever he’s gone than he seemed to find in life.
