Jason left early yesterday morning to meet his parents and sister. together, they went over to Lavallette, where Jason grew up and where his parents' home still stands, though unoccupied and unable to be occupied for the time being. together, they finished tearing out rugs and sheet rock, cabinets and furniture and everything else that was on the first floor of their home. they traced cracks in the foundation and sewer lines and marked high water lines and mold with spray paint to make it easier for the assessors to determine whether or not the house is to be condemned, whenever that inspection takes place.
i wasn't with him because the whole island is still under martial law, and only one vehicle/4 people are allowed per property on the days when they allow residents to visit their properties.
so i was home when the news started coming in about a horrible accident involving a close friend and colleague of ours. Bob was the owner of the business where Jason paints characters for sale, and where i worked part time. he was also a close friend and the person most responsible for some major changes we've made these last 6 months or so.
Bob's health has been declining recently, and last month he had a stroke. we tried to convince him to let us run his business for a little while, to rest up and get back to healthy before resuming work, but he wouldn't listen, and was back in the store less than a week later, just in time for Oktoberfest. he did however accept our offer to help him with the heavy lifting, and we spent a lot of time there recently, especially in the days leading up to Sandy when 75% of his inventory had to be put into storage.
he was the grumpy Italian grandfather Jason's been missing for a long time now, and became family to us in a very short time frame. we discussed buying his business so he and Nancy could move north like she'd been bugging him to do for years. then Sandy came, and everything was set aside for a while.
we saw at least once or twice a week since the storm, and he seemed to be doing both better and worse at the same time, each time we saw him. his speech was improving but he seemed tired and worn out. but he dressed like a zombie to walk with us in the Zombie Walk last weekend, and we shared a lot of laughs.
we saw him again on Sunday, just a few days ago, and he mentioned needing to go to Home Depot for some supplies. i offered to make the trip for him but he shooed me away and told me he already'd had a mother and didn't need another one. he gave me his cheek to kiss when we were leaving, a new habit that i liked a lot. and he told us to "get a dog for christ's sake" because he could tell how much we were missing Lucy, the puggle who stayed with us a for a couple of weeks after Sandy when our neighbors were rebuilding.
on Monday night, Bob drove his car to Home Depot and got the things he needed. but afterward, something happened to him, and rather than getting back into his car and driving home, he wandered onto the highway and started walking. there, he was struck by a car and killed instantly. we can only assume that he'd suffered another stroke or something else that affected his cognitive ability.
i got word yesterday morning first thing, but had to wait all day for Jason to come home to tell him the sad news. and he's taking this particularly hard, because Bob was so much more than just a friend to him...he was a mentor and had become family. there was an instantaneous bond there, everyone saw it and appreciated it. and now my husband, who is going through so much already, is dealing with the loss of one of his closest friends.
late last night, a soft knock on the door announced the arrival of Lucy the puggle back into our lives. her owners had taken a couple of weeks to make sure of their decision, but in the end they decided she belonged with us. last night we fell asleep to the sound of Lucy snoring away, and awoke to puggle kisses and dog breath.
we'll be mourning the loss of our friend for a long while now, and we have no idea what will come of Jason's family home, and probably won't for a while yet. but we're happy to have Lucy in our lives, this time for good, and we're happy to help our family and friends bounce back from Sandy as best we can.
so that was quite a day. i just needed to let that out. thanks for reading
love you all.
