Just a Week Later

And another trip to Gainesville, this time to console Barton. Last night, on her way home from work (counting bats), Jen was killed in an auto accident. Evidently, she had hit a dog, stopped and got out to see if it was dead, then she and her car were struck by another car. That driver was also injured, now recovering at Shands Hospital.

Peg is on a cruise of the Great Lakes with Robert. They were in the middle of Lake Superior, heading to Mackinac Island when Barton was able to get in touch with them. No easy airport access, and little phone service. They will stay on the ship until Thursday, when the cruise gets to its final port. I know they are beside themselves, not being able to come home immediately. As soon as we got Robert’s text, we cleaned up from working in the yard and headed north.

Poor Barton. We sat and listened. His uncle and cousin arrived a couple of hours later, then Jen’s best friends and one of Barton’s came. Already too much food. Other friends were heading his way, so we left, knowing he wouldn’t be alone until his mom and brother could get there. We are devastated.

I’d thought the biggest events in the last 7 days was Sunday President Biden announcing he was not going to run again (better late than never, thank you, Joe, for all your service) and Kamala Harris raising $100 million and counting, the most anyone one has done in such a short time. I was elated.

Now I’m so very sad. And so appreciative how lucky I have been. The summer after my first year of college, my friend Sue and I worked at Corwin Shells, at the corner of 2-laned US 41 and Marco Island Road. One day, Sue’s boyfriend Keith must have picked us up, because we were driving on a bridge (over the Gordon River?), and I  remember him telling us about a man who recently was killed there. He’d swerved to miss a duck and ran into the bridge abutment. Died instantly. As Keith said, “Hit the damn duck!” 

Easier said than done. Would I swerve to miss a duck? Would I stop on a dark road to check on an injured, probably dead, dog? Would my children? 


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