The weekend is over

Well, we drove up to Clinton on Saturday to bring some of Kate's stuff back home and to help with the final clean-up of Kate's apartment for graduation in two weeks. The trip was pleasant despite our forgetting we had Tex in the car as we drove up I-85 in Gwinnett County. Fortunately, Cindy remembered him and I could turn around in time to return him to Pets Are People Too, which turned out to be somewhat of a boondoggle, since they required him to have a shot which we don't think he needed and also tried to charge for a Vet examination, when we didn't request one. Cindy and I made a command decision that that was the last trip to Pets Are People Too. Unless we just don't have a choice.

Meeting up with Kate, we ended up staying at the Comfort Inn in Clinton. As it turned out we decided that the Comfort Inn was quite acceptable and it also turned out that they allow pets for an additional $10.00. Again, we decided to bring Tex and keep him in the room with us during graduation. As it turned out, if we had done that this time, it would have saved us $35.00 over the weekend and Kate could have seen Tex, as well.

At 10:00 o'clock p.m. on Saturday, Cindy and I drove into town and met Kate at 'Inklings' to enjoy some improvisation. Some of Kate's friends were in it and it was quite fun, despite the rain and our lack of one additional umbrella. We drove back to the Comfort Inn and went to sleep. We had a wonderful sleep. Cindy remarked that it was the first good sleep she had had in several weeks.

The next morning, we awoke and ate, showered and dressed and met Kate at church at First Presbyterian of Clinton. We met two delightful older ladies who told us all about the church and themselves. After church we met someone from PC who knew Kate and spoke with him for awhile. Later, we drove out to Fatz Cafe and ate lunch. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes and cheese grits and salad. Thank God for the salad.

Afterward we drove up into Greenville and found several places for a potential Mother's Day brunch after graduation. We ended up making a reservation at a place on the river downtown and really enjoyed exploring around downtown Greenville. Finding our way back out to the interstate was somewhat of a chore, but we did find our way out. And back to Georgia.

Along the way I asked Cindy if she was hungry and thought of an interesting place to get supper. I exited the interstate at Eagles Landing Parkway and drove down Rock Quarry Road until I found the Papi's Cuban Restaurant in Stockbridge. I ended up getting maduros and Cuban sandwiches and rice and black beans. I was so excited.

We got home about 8:30 last night and were watching television, when Kate called with the news that one of her classmates from Spalding High, a young man who was quite a bright, fun guy apparently died over the weekend. When I arrived at the office, I looked up the information on the Griffin Daily News website and found he died on Saturday in Statesboro, where he attended college. Kate's information was that he apparently committed suicide. Quite a shock. Kate was in tears yesterday evening.

There is really nothing one can say in a situation like this. Young people who are bright and who are prone to look deeply at their lives sometimes seem to be prone to these bouts of depression. I haven't seen this student for several years. I would hate to make a guess as to why he did what he did. There never seems to be a good answer in situations like this.

We can only pray for his family and friends who knew and loved him. The kind of desperation which leads someone to an act of this type is simply inscrutable to us, most of the time. These acts are just hard to deal with for anyone. I wish I had a good answer.

I really liked him. He was one of Kate's friends who I really enjoyed meeting and with whom I enjoyed interacting.