More Sadness...Our Weekend

Sad weekend. Ceil left at 4:30 Friday for the Dekalb Farmer’s Market. I swung by and picked up Joel on the way home. After a quick supper, W, J and I hiked up to Sixes Road in Canton for the game. Getting out of the car, I glanced at my cell phone on the seat, and made my usual decision to leave it there. The games were delayed by 45 minutes waiting for referees. Two hard fought wins.

We started home about 10:15. Almost immediately the phone rang. Ceil was more than distressed. She told a rambling story…after returning from Decatur, she left the kids again to go to nearby Michaels (next to Sears, across from the Picture Show and Target). A large group of teens were jaywalking, pretty much playing in the street while crossing busy Upper Roswell…in the dark. In the middle of the road, one boy actually turned around and wiggled his rear at traffic.

A girl darted out into traffic…and was hit. She was thrown a short distance, and after landing, never moved. Shocked, Ceil pulled over. A blanket was put on the girl…to protect her from the chill? An ambulance arrived, lights flashing. Ceil said she eventually left to go home to check on Anna and Matthew. “You left?” I asked “The police said that was OK?”

Ceil had told the story as if she’d been the one who’d hit the girl. She was so terrified; the details of her story were unclear. It had been a car in another lane, that couldn’t possibly have seen her. Friday night Ceil didn’t know if the girl had lived or not.

After we got off the phone I checked…five missed calls. Pumped gas while talking to Ceil, then we got stuck in a slow Wendy’s drive-thru line. It was after 11:00 before we got Joel home, where I noticed DJ’s Jeep. He’d missed the game “to study” since the JV had previously beaten this small American Heritage varsity team (but Friday’s win was a little too close for comfort).

When we got come, C, A, and M were on the couch…C had been too upset to go to bed. Saturday morning she was still upset. Friends Nancy and Becky called. Later C went back to Michaels, to make the purchase she’d been to upset to make the night before. The guy at the store was pretty sure the girl died. Not long after the ambulance arrived, it turned off its emergency lights. Up to now I haven’t seen anything in the AJC. Lee checked the Cobb police website and found nothing. No teen scuttlebutt at Johnson Ferry Sunday AM.

I thought Will’s big rivalry game would be good medicine, but it took awhile for her to get into the excitement. Kathy Hoffer arrived, and said DJ had heard the story (probably from Joel). It was well after ten when we got home, then I was up past one typing game recaps.

Sunday AM a good friend asked if we’d had a good weekend, and we had to tell the truth. I was gone the rest of the day, which was bad. Baseball workout at Mt. Paran with Will. Back to the MP park with Matthew to meet Daniel Earhart. The GT/Maryland game with Will and Joel until 11 pm. So busy this weekend I didn’t get in a run (or tend to Ceil).

This week will be a blur as well. Joel’s Living Science celebration tonight. Tuesday Will & Anna have late practices. Matthew has a big school recital I’ll attend Wednesday, A & W have youth, and its poker night for me and my guys. Thursday and Saturday Will has tourney games.

Life goes on…for some of us.