When tragedy strikes, people react in different ways. Some are talkers, and find serenity and comfort in speaking through the emotions. Others are introverts and would rather have solitude to filter through the feelings alone. I am a mixture of both, which was evident when my best friend had no idea how to be there for me when a close friend of mine passed away.
That friend, Ricky Childers, passed away on Thursday, October 22. When I got the call, I experienced a fog of shock. Then the fog dissipated & made way for the disbelief. Then came the tears that poured out uncontrollably. The following day was just a repeat of the previous. But then several days later, it was no longer so obvious that I was dealing with a loss of a loved one. Work continued. Life continued. But I knew what was lying beneath it all and I replayed last moments we spent together and thought back on the last time we spoke.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, no one really “speaks” anymore; we text, we Facebook , we tweet. My last conversation with Ricky was sent via Direct Message on Twitter, on the day he was leaving for vacation. We chatted about his upcoming trip & how excited he was. I told him to be safe, that I was jealous he was going to the Caribbean, that I loved him and to have fun. His last message to me made mention of a half marathon on November 7th at the Dowd YMCA. He wanted to know if I’d join him. I responded with something to the effect of “wow, November 7th, that’s soon for 13 miles! But, I’ll think about it…I’ll let you know when you get back!”
He passed 2 days later.
