We are finally getting to this Post written around the time of the Homicide... since, it happened on Sept. 2nd...
We will get to the traumatic News later in the Post. I got our Laundry done, more stuff sorted and priced to bring in when I go to Work Tonight. And, the Reruns of "Halloween Wars" begin at 9:00 p.m. so I'll only miss some of it before I get Home after Work Tonight. The Mall Closes at 9:00 p.m. and that late there's not much Traffic and we live close by. If there's malingering Customers I'll just tell Staff I have to get Home and since I'm being a Month long Fill-In for Ed, well, they won't Question why. *Smiles* I doubt they have sufficient coverage for all the folks who call in and don't Work the Shifts they obligated themselves to and don't show up for. Ed has a valid reason, but many don't, they just call in or just don't show up for a myriad of bogus reasons really. I'm hearing that a lot at various Stores, Co-Workers lamenting they're short staffed and over-worked coz Co-Workers just didn't show up for their Shifts. This is why some folks will be replaced by Machines. Loving the Above BINGO Card with Vintage Buttons sewn onto it, might have to get one.
Anyway, I got all my Chores done here at Home and it's only Noon. Dishes got Washed, I cleaned up the Kitchen, the Kiddos Love to Cook but leave carnage in their wake. I like being Cooked FOR so sometimes I will not complain and take one for the Team by doing the Cleanup after I've been Cooked for and Served Meals that I didn't have to Cook for The Man or I. We just had Brunch of a lovely Salisbury Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, that The Son prepared, it was yummy. I hadn't eaten Breakfast and usually I never miss it, but I had started Working since 7:00 a.m. after I dropped Princess T off at Work. The Son had gone in at 5:00 a.m. to Work, but Walked there so he didn't have to Wake me, knowing I'm Working a Night Shift Tonight. Which, I appreciated getting a couple more Hours of Sleep uninterrupted, and he Walked Home after his Shift, so was here to Cook us Brunch by 10:30 a.m..
I'm contemplating what to eat before going in to Work, after I pick Princess T up after she gets off? I usually try to eat earlier than she gets off coz sometimes she has to Work 'til 4:00 and I've got to be at Work by 5:00, so it's a tight timeline during Rush Hour Traffic. You wouldn't have time to stop and eat too. And, since I only have a 4 Hour Shift, it would mean waiting til after 10:00 p.m. to have Dinner otherwise when I'm back Home from my Shift. No bueno. I got all the Bills Paid that are due at the 1st part of the Month. At least our Social Security Checks hit on the 16th this Month, so I can pay the rest a bit earlier that are due later in the Month. I'm getting a decent Check from the Antique Mall again, nothing huge, but every little bit helps. With all these Shifts I'm pulling in Sept. it will comp more Space Rent/Overhead Costs.
I Lucked Out at The Son's Dollar Store and they're having a 40th Anniversary Sale and rolled back some prices to a Dollar. Now most Dollar Stores are up to $1.50 per Item. They should no longer even bother calling them all Dollar Stores. *Le Sigh* And, now most of them also Stock some Merch well over those prices too. But, I still Buy a lot from there cheaper than elsewhere. The Son said he didn't realize how much I relied on Dollar Stores for Essentials until he was Working at one and notices the Inventory is what we usually have used at Home. *Ha ha ha* He's only 40, so is as Old as his Company is, but they've already tried to woo him into accepting a Management Position that will be Opening Up. He's reluctant since he's so New, but I told him to seriously consider a meteoric rise, it's a Fortune 500 Company, so there's some serious Opportunity to earn more than he did in The Trades. Without as much Hard Work and in Climate Controlled Space. Is it just me, or does that Frankenstein Doll resemble Sly Stallone? *LOL*
He's Middle Aged now and in The Trades he was noticing he was becoming "The Old Man" of any Crew he was Working with. He said very few were in their 50's or 60's becoz they simply would be unable to do the Work and last. There were few even in their 40's, so, when he was only in his 30's, they were already calling him "Old Man", "Dad", or "Uncle", coz most of the Crew were Teens or Twenty-Somethings. *Smiles* So, he was Wise enuf to realize, there's not a long Future left for him in those Industries unless you Own the Company. Allen is realizing that at the Slaughterhouses too. He's almost 30 now and said he's likely unable to keep Pace with the Immigrants from 3rd World Countries who actually CAN still do that Work and just run Circles around American Workers, even into their 60's!
The wiry "Ant Men" from Africa impress him the most, he said they're Stronger than even the Immigrant Latinos doing that kind of grueling hard physically demanding Work. And Immigrants make up about 95% or more of the Workforce in those place. Allen is VERY Strong, but said those Old African Men can lift a whole side of Beef that outweighs them by a lot! And wield those dangerous Knives, Cleavers and Hatchets like a Chef at "Benihana"! *LOL* I remember my Dad coming Home from Vietnam and saying the same thing about some of the Old Vietnamese Villagers. He said sometimes they'd hand out sides of Beef to the Locals, many of which were Starving during the War and helping the Americans. And he'd see some Old Woman, who probably weighed 80 lbs. soaking Wet and was someone's Gramma Mama San, come up, grab the Legs and throw the Cow on her Back and trot off with it like it was nothing!!!
Now, my Native American Gramma was a tiny lil Sprite like that and Strong as an Ox and Tough as Old Boots. But my Dad said after that Generation was Dying Off, you didn't see as much of that toughness, resilience, and strength here in America anymore. People were getting Soft and Weak, both of fortitude and attitude. And this is why our Country is still being built on the Backs of current Immigrants and why we should be more Grateful to those that come and do the Work, and are Good People and not who this Regime tries to vilify and tell Untruths about and persecute, to deflect blame where it should be... on them, the Elected Officials who are cocking things up and being impotent to stop what's going Wrong.
Then trying to deflect blame by finding handy Scapegoats to vilify and sadly, their Base fully Believes a lot of the Bullshit, Con Game and sleight of Hand going on at the White House, and has now for a fucking Decade. Coz with this MAGA Movement, Proof and Evidence or the Rule of Law isn't what they latch on to and run with. The Grievance Politics works against them yet they won't jump Ship as it's sinking fast. I heard an apt comment Today that in the Texas Primary Race, even tho' they know who and what Paxton is, many Republicans and especially MAGA, will "Hold their Nose" and Vote for him anyway... isn't that the most Politically ignorant and irresponsible thing you ever heard? And anyone who will Vote shit in, deserves to get shit out of it.
Talarico is clearly a better Man, with less baggage and not the well known Criminal element of Paxton, and thus a better Candidate for the People of Texas, but has the Wrong Label for those who put Party over Country. But, some folks are absolutely Cray-Cray over their Politics and their Religion and lose their shit about one or both and can't be Reasoned with about either. And if someone Votes for a Criminal whose Morally Bankrupt, then I Question their own Ethics and Moral Compass, just sayin'. Don't just say you held your Nose, you are clearly wading deep into shit and smell like it yourself. What you Support and who you Associate with speaks volumes about YOU. Coz Bad Company Corrupts even Good Character and you will be Judged by the Company you Keep and have Kept, and Tolerated the Behavior and Actions of. You are more than likely, just like them and you actually know that, even if you won't openly admit it, but it's more revealing than you realize to everyone else.
I worked my Shift Wednesday Night with the older New Lady, who I really like but can't yet remember the Name of. She's someone I can easily become Friends with so we talked a lot when it was slow. Jackson was working and doing better than usual, he can be a Slacker about Working, but is a nice Guy, usually I don't like working with him when he avoids doing the job at hand, but this Evening he was doing everything he should. So, it was a nice Shift, busy enuf for a Wednesday Night, got busier AT Closing tho', wouldn't ya know! *Eye Roll* I got Home late due to the late Customers and I was really tired. The Young Prince and Allen had finally made it Home, and The Young Prince came out to see me when I got Home. He looks gaunt but was in good Spirits, I don't think he's been eating well, which happens when he has Psychosis about his Food and thinks it's Moving or Tainted. He isn't yet fully Trusting of Allen I think, but they are working things out. Speaking of Trust and Working things out... I had almost dozed off when the Phone rang real late, almost Midnight! I knew it was Bad News before I answered it coz my Heart dropped.
It was The Daughter and she was absolutely hysterical and screaming, Mom, he's Dead, he's Dead, I had to Identify the Body for the Police!!! She was with an Officer so I didn't know what the Hell was going on or where she was?! She was so traumatized she was asking the Officer, I don't know where I am right now, where am I??! OMG, I wasn't even sure who she was with?! Who was Dead and she was helping Identify the Body??!!!! She was so Traumatized by it that she was going into Psychosis and I knew that, so I did the Calming Technique I've Learned to do and perfected with her and with her Son when the Schizophrenia is playing it's Tricks on their Mind. At first I wasn't even sure anyone WAS Dead, or was she Hallucinating and Officers had shown up with her being Crazy in Public? It's happened before, so I was trying to sort things out Calmly. I told her that if we could discern where she was, tell the Officer I'm come and get her.
She said she couldn't leave and was giving a Statement to the Police, wasn't sure they'd allow me to enter THE CRIME SCENE... by now I'm thinking OMG, is she involved with what happened, was she a Witness to someone being Killed? Did she know the Victim? WTF, I needed more information and quickly coz she was definitely Mentally unraveling and needed me there. She said she was on her Bike, and she'd stumbled upon what happened and it was Mando, he was Dead, he was involved in a Vehicular Homicide on his Bike, and she'd had to help Police Identify his Body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, that late at Night Mid-Week, I'm asking why she's in the same place with Mando anyway, she was babbling something about her Friend Jeff, an Elderly Biker she and Mando both know who she goes and often Cleans his Double Wide Trailer, which is over by the Prison, I've picked her up there before coz she Cleans for several very Elderly People in that Trailer Park quite often now. It's not far from when Jason's Mini Ranch is and some other Ranchers she also Cleans for that are Elderly Old Men or Women.
Mando had actually introduced her to Jeff and many other people he knew coz he did Handyman Work for many of them too. He is a MacGyver type of Guy and had done many Handyman Jobs here for us when things were Good. Well, she'd been at Jeff's Cleaning, coz he's an Old Biker with a ZZ Top White Beard, a Harley, and he's a Hoarder of stuff so his Trailer is in a Word, Hoarded, and she's been helping him to Organize, get rid of Excess Stuff, and then Clean, so it's Safer and more Sanitary. She really likes Old Jeff, he kind of looks like a Biker Santa Claus. Well, apparently Mando had been over there doing Handyman Work for Jeff too that Day and becoz the Biker Crowd there is very Protective of The Daughter, there had been no nonsense with Mando at all. She said, in fact he'd been apologetic about causing Drama and she just told him, Listen, I want Peace, just don't bother me or my Family anymore, we all Wish you to be Well. She went to use the Bathroom and when she'd come out Mando was gone and had left a Note saying he'd needed to go to Circle K Convenience Store on his Bike and he'd be back.
Well, he never came back and she said she just knew something was very Wrong and told Jeff, Listen, I'm gonna ride my Bike down to the Circle K to make sure he's alright, coz I just got a Bad Feeling he isn't. I've probably mentioned it in a previous Post, but he's been making some Enemies lately and talking shit, which is never good, it catches up to you, you can't go around Threatening People or their Families, and even if his Cancer has gone to his Brain, you put yourself at risk by being confrontational or threatening. So, recently he'd gotten jumped once, and had another even more recent incident involving some Mexican Nationals that went down badly too, in that very area. That's the Back Story and now, as she approached the Convenience Store she saw all the Crime Scene Tape, Officers everywhere with Lights on, Road Closure, and an Officer approached her and said there had been an Accident and someone had Died, so she couldn't go thru, they'd Closed Off the Crime Scene!!!
She said she was there becoz her Ex-Boyfriend had ridden his Bike down to Circle K and said he'd be back to the Property they both were helping an Elderly Friend do Work at, but he never returned and she was worried about him. And now she was more worried, was this him that was the Victim of this Crime Scene?!? That's when they showed her the pictures of the Body, which had already been Pronounced by then at the Hospital, and indeed, she was able to identify him by his Tattoos, which meant, quite gruesome Vehicular Homicide where someone had hit and run over him in a Vehicle while he was either coming or going to Circle K on his Bike!!! He'd left his ID at the Trailer coz she thinks he only went back to Circle K to turn in a Winning Scratch Lottery Ticket, coz he'd gone there earlier and she hadn't understood why he even went back otherwise, especially without his Wallet? So, he'd been a John Doe at the Scene and Police didn't even have his Identity before she showed up, to know who to notify of his Death??!!!!!!! So, Serendipity she was there, tho', Traumatic for her, to be at the Right Place at the Wrong Time to now Witness someone she knew and had Cared about run over and Killed!
You wouldn't Wish that on anybody, and I've had to Process enuf Vehicular Homicides in the many Years I Worked for the DA's Office and handled the Vehicular Bureau's Crimes, to know, those Deaths are never Pretty. I pity anyone who has to Identify the Body of someone whose a Victim of a Vehicular Homicide, whether Accidental or not, it's terribly Traumatic and a horrible way to Go. I can only Hope it was Quick, we don't have Details since she wasn't a Witness, it was probably an Hour and a Half he'd been gone before she went to look for him. Jeff's Motorcycle was being Worked on and that's probably why Mando and some other Biker Friends were there Working on it in the Driveway now it was Cooler and Dark. Too Hot to do anything during the Day. Luckily The Daughter had Phone Numbers for some of Mando's Family so that Police could contact them. And his Nephew called her to Thank her, at least now his Mom, Mando's Sister, didn't have to Identify the Body and see it in that condition. The Daughter was like, Mom, this is probably gonna have to be a Closed Casket Funeral for the Family!
That's Bad and meant massive Trauma, don't know if it was a Hit and Run, an Accident where whoever did it stayed at the Scene, or something more ominous, like someone Intentionally ran him over? She said the Incident with the Mexican Nationals had happened when he was riding his Bike too, and they tried to run him off the Road in a Truck, speaking Spanish and she'd heard there had been Weapons but he'd managed to ride away and evade them. She doesn't know who they are, coz Mando doesn't even know any Mexican Nationals and she wonders who he got himself mixed up with now? She'd warned him he was pissing off a lot of people and making Enemies, which is just never Wise. You can't have a reckless Mouth or talk shit.
She hasn't been together with him for a while and hadn't wanted to be in a Relationship, just try to be amicable since they know a lot of the same Friends and she didn't want every time they might run into each other thru people they both know, to be awkward and uncomfortable now they were no longer together. He'd been very problematic with her, and thus with us, and I just felt he was unraveling more and more Mentally and Physically, with the Bone Cancer progressing. We didn't want anything Bad to happen to him, I honestly felt the Cancer might be near End Stage tho' by now?
He'd already outlived Expiration Dates they'd given him and discontinued further Treatments coz they hadn't worked. He had been Self-Medicating with Drugs, which is another part of why she couldn't be around him to risk her own Sobriety. Even if he was doing it for his chronic Pain from the Cancer, we have a Zero Tolerance Policy since we have Family Members who are Recovering Addicts and don't want them risking their Sobriety being around anyone using, for any reasons. So, I almost wonder, did he get himself in trouble with someone he owed Money to? We just don't know coz The Daughter intentionally has not had voluntary contact, just sometimes runs into him now and again via mutual acquaintances and Jobs she takes and he takes for some of the same People.
I'd rather think he got Killed accidentally and not run over on purpose, but anyone involved in the Drug Industry are ruthless and merciless, especially about any unpaid Debts or if you've become a problematic Customer in any way. The Daughter got a Sense this may not have been Accidental at all. Me too... I almost wonder if he'd gone back to Circle K to meet with People who demanded he be there, or, to Score his Drugs and it went Bad? He wouldn't tell anyone what he was doing or why, and it didn't make Sense to The Daughter, she's Street Smart, so she said there's a lot of Questions and no Answers.
It's how Timmy's Uncle got Murdered a few Years ago, right in front of his Family. These Cartels and Drug Dealers are ruthless people and can't be trifled with or owed Money to. I won't Judge what anyone uses when they're Dying, to manage excruciating Pain if they have shitty Healthcare and cannot Work anymore due to a Terminal Illness. Anyway, I don't know that's what happened, speculation at best, lots of variables. Perhaps he just got run over by a distracted or impaired Driver, coz it was Late and they're on the Roads being a menace during the Daytime, worse at Night. People be on their Phones, Texting, Drinking and Driving, under the Influence of other Substances while Driving... it's risky, and moreso in Rural parts of the Valley with poor Lighting, which, out there near the Prison, it is.
It's a poorer Community out there, but with some Farms and Ranches too, but not well lit and people drive too fast on those more desolate Roads too. Even in a Vehicle you can be at risk of an Accident, let alone on a Bike, coz there's no Sidewalks and most Roads are only Two Lanes, pitch dark coz it's further from City Lights, and desolate. So, if a Crime were to happen, few Witnesses either. I'm sure this will be on the News by Tomorrow, coz they are doing a Homicide Investigation now. She's not sure how much she wants to be involved in any of that becoz she really doesn't know who he's made Bad Blood with and wants no part of being inserted into any of it either. Especially if Bad Actors are involved. She's hopeful it turns out to be some Motorist who didn't mean to harm someone and will be up on Manslaughter Charges? I know his Family will want Justice and Answers. My Heart goes out to them. I know a lot of his extended Family. My Friend Dino used to be Married to Mando's Aunt, she was his 1st Wife... so his Kids are related to Mando.
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This was not how I thought a 1st Wednesday Night of September would end... Dawn... The Bohemian
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