I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 28 years, disabled daughter, adult son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!Today is the 3rd anniversary of the murder of my daughter's friend F. She would have been 17. Murder is always senseless, the murder of children doubly so. F died at the hands of her mother's live in boyfriend. Domestic violence, alcohol, and a gun were responsible for her death.
I wish that she had left that house instead of going out and getting between her mom and her mom's boyfriend. I wish he had not disconnected their phone line. I wish she had run through the dark in the early hours of the morning and knocked on our door, on anyone else's door. I wish that I'd found out about it in a better way than reporters knocking on my front door and asking if we knew the murdered child. They hadn't even given us a name, but I could look down the block and see where everything was centered and I knew immediately who it was.
F had never said a thing about her situation, had never mentioned the abuse her mother was going through. She'd never gotten in the way of it before and like most children in such cases, she was a silent witness, until one day she wasn't.
It rocked our little neighborhood to the core and was the impetus for us leaving the area and moving back to town. My kids just could not handle living in a place where a child they had played with for years was killed. No one felt safe anymore, especially my kids, despite the fact that the murderer commited suicide and was no longer there.
I hope my daughter makes it through the school day without crumbling. We have decided not to remind my son of what day it is. He was 9 when it happened so his memories are not so sharp, but he adored F. She never minded when he tagged along with his sister. She was such a sweet girl and will always be missed. As a mother, it just broke my heart.
Today is Always a Hard Day
January 7th, 2013 at 03:51 pm
January 7th, 2013 at 04:43 pm 1357576998
January 7th, 2013 at 05:25 pm 1357579513
I've wondered why your family made the decision to move from the house you own. Now I know. How awful. I hope your daughter is doing ok today.
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