Thursday, August 21, 2008

Suffering

For those of you who have asked, my back is better but...it's been a really heavy week.

I am working...bidding commercials in Hollyweird. We have many, many budgets to go out in the next few days and I'm working long hours.

The other thing is that {Update 8/22: Better link to the story. Finally found a local newspaper.}my cousin was murdered on Monday. For days, we knew nothing more. The FBI would not release the bodies (a co-worker was killed too) or any information.

After being on the phone for days, our bits of information kept growing and growing. One other cousin was a former sheriff and could get further than we could.

Brett apparently stopped by the trailer of a co-worker and found five men beating him to death. He was stabbed to death and both bodies were wrapped in blankets and thrown in the woods. It took over 12 hours to find them. Their boss came looking for them in the afternoon and upon discovering so much blood, he called the police.

His co-worker had a long criminal record and the area is near a known drug hot spot. We think it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time.

Brett was just a few years older than me. And he has an older brother, his "Irish twin" born the same year, just eleven months earlier. Each has no memory of life without the other.

We played together constantly as kids. Their farm butted up to our grandparent's land. I would stay at their house so long, I would run out of clothes and have to wear theirs. I loved dressing like one of the boys.

I would help them with their chores around the farm which sometimes involved chasing down a chicken for Sunday dinner. After chores, we would ride a horse over to our grandmother's or fish or play. I thought those boys hung the moon.

There was something about both boys I adored. The older brother could do more with me...i.e. make me behave. It was he who escorted me down the aisle at my sister's wedding at age two. Brett was her ring bearer.

Brett was the visionary. He taught me to see things that weren't there. They had a long narrow driveway and it was full of pines. In the fall, he would rake and rake and start stacking pine straw about two feet high to build "walls" of a house. He would lay out each room carefully giving thought to where windows and doors and closets should be. Then we would play in our house which mostly meant running from room to room and giggling. And sometimes, we would re-model and add on a room.

There would come a time when I was six or so and our parents had a falling out. Their dad was my mother's oldest brother. I was so sad to drive down the road to my grandmother's and not be allowed to jump out of the car and make the run down that long driveway to see my cousins.

Then our grandmother went into a nursing home and we hardly saw the boys. Their parents died and whenever there was some family event, both would show up and pay respects or visit with family. One was rarely seen without the other.

My heart is so heavy and sad to know that he had to die this way. It can't be easy to know five men are attacking you with a knives. He deserved so much better. He certainly deserved not to suffer. And he is not suffering anymore.

His family is. His brother most certainly is.
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6 comments:

Becky said...

Holly: I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin. It so tragic and unbelievable. I hope they catch the guilty and throw away the key. I hate violence!

I'm glad to hear you are working but don't work too hard, I worry about your back.

Off to Seoul for the afternoon

Anonymous said...

It must be very hard to work at a new job while carrying this grief. My heart goes out to you.

Unknown said...

You and your family will be in our hearts and prayers...please be good to yourself during this time of grief. Carmon

vonna said...

My Dear Holly,

The life you spent with your cousin shall never fall away from your heart & soul ~ he will always be apart of everyone's life he touched.

Holly ~ I can tell you that I know how you feel ~ try to keep busy ~ keep creating ~ keep feeling ~ keep good thoughts in your heart when you are able, and maybe practice a little yoga! **wink**

I shall keep you in my prayers, you are a very special lady! My heart aches for you too!

xoxo
vonna

Linda@VS said...

Holly, it's hard to imagine the shock of learning that this kind of tragedy has happened to someone you know and love. So sad and senseless. Please know how much we care, and as Carmon said, take good care of yourself.

Sending hugs and prayers your way.

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

Everyone, thanks so much for the kind thoughts and wishes. It's been a hard week.

The other guy was beaten with a bat and in some ways I find that so much more humane that what happened to Brett.