Me and Kathi

Since I was 2 my parents have been divorced.

I would stay with my dad on the weekends which was always a fun time. Then, when I was around 7 or 8 daddy got new neighbors. The McCoy family. I think their aunt left them the house in a will.

I remember when daddy first took me over there to meet their daughter. We walked across the horse pasture. The pasture we would always take to get to each others house Her name was Kathy. We became fast friends and ended up spending most of our childhood together. All the way up into high school. I have a lot of feelings come forth when I think of her and the times we spent together. Our lives so different but yet so very much a like.

She was popular, I was not. But still we always managed to hang out when I was at my daddy's. She taught me things that I may have never known if it wasn't for her. Things I still think about today.

We began to drift apart about our Junior year of high school. It didn't matter. We were still friends.

I didn't go to her wedding. I wasn't invited. I didn't live the life she lived. The one that most people from our part of the world thought that we should live. I was the black sheep so to speak.

When I went home for the holidays we would see each. We would catch up, she would show me her new diamonds, I would show her....not much of anything. Then we would part ways.

For as much time that we spent together we had nothing else to say. And today, I still can't find any words.

My step mom called me today. Nothing out of the ordinary. I wasn't around to get her call but managed to get her voicemail. Something inside of me told me I needed to call her back. And soon.

Today. Kathi and her husband were moving some stairs to their new home. She was in the back of the truck holding the stairs with William driving. Supposedly, a gust of wind knocked her off balance. She was thrown out of the back of truck, her head hit the asphalt while he was driving. She had to be airlifted to the hospital.

I still haven't heard anything else but what I did hear is that she is brain dead. She hasn't woken up. I don't know if she will.

I have lost friends before. Never one that was this close. I still haven't dealt with it. I don't know what to say. I am very sad for Tommy, Sue and Chris.

I have been lucky enough to not have any bad news in a really long time. Today, emotions have come up that I haven't felt in a very long time.

Today, I am sad.
Today, I am speechless.
Today, I am thankful for the life that I live.


Bethany