part 3

Jim has given me the news at 1:30 a.m. - he had taken the first call at 12:30 but did not want to wake  me until the deaths were confirmed . He waited an hour.  He wanted to be absolutely sure what he would tell me!

 

At 3:30 a.m. I raised my head up from the dining room table (I must have collapsed for a couple of hours) and said "thank God I have no regrets.  We have phone calls to make and travel arrangements"  I remember Jim just gawking at me.  For Christ sake we had things to do!!  I went into action, made the appropriate phone calls first to Joe's Dad.  I couldn't reach him.  He must have been spending the night with his fiance and I didn't know her number.  His sister and mother had just moved that day and the e-mail with all of their new contact info was in my office.  Jim and I set out around 4 or so to my office where I had most of the phone numbers I needed, which included my dear friend and boss, Tom, who was out of town with his family for the weekend.  I had an office that needed to be covered!!  That done we came home and I called DeeDee and then my mother.  My mother just did not comprehend so I finally just said "call DeeDee"  At that point I told Jim I had to lie down for an hour or so....I was too exhausted to try to get to the airport and I knew we would need a lot of strength over the next few days.

 

Just before I settled down to get some rest my granddaughter, Laura's,  mother called me to give me an update on her condition.  She was not expected to live and had been in surgery for several hours at that point.  I screamed "Oh my God no! Not my Laura".  Jim came rushing in wide-eyed and it was then that Kim told me that it was a drunk driver.  Jim went freaking' nuts and I just went to my bed to lie down.  It wasn't real.  It wasn't happening.  I had to rest.  I instinctively knew that it would be a very long time before I had a restful night again...........

 

Enough for today.... I wasn't even going to go there today but something told me that I need to get this story told!  Scott Russel-Russel, my pecan friend, there are not enough nuts in this world to deal with this story.  You have no idea what can of worms you have opened....... this story is not just about death and destruction but about greed and unkindness from some of the people who profess to be the grandest Christians of them all.  A most amazing story!

 

Ciao for now...... Ann