There's been so much weirdness in my world lately and tonight really just took the cake. Tonight has clearly demonstrated that the hand of fate can step in and guide people to certain places... to be there at certain times.
It's almost 4:00 and I just got out of the shower. The events of tonight left me feeling very needful of being clean, and in need of the solace one can only find in a shower.
My evening didn't start off too much out of the ordinary. Shortly before I left work though, I read an article on a local news site about three people (which has now been updated to four people) that had been arrested in a possible assassination plot against Barack Obama. I didn't pay that much attention to it because I already knew the nuts would be coming out for the DNC (which by the way, if you take a drive through Denver you'd think DNC stood for DoNut Convention due to all the cops) but one of those arrested caught my attention - Tharin Gartrell. Through the local DJ scene and also a place I used to throw a club night, I knew a DJ that went by Tharin Roberts - could they be one in the same? Eh, at the time it was of little concern to me because I had to go meet up with the male half of my family for a late birthday celebration at Olive Garden. (The bday thing was pretty neat, but that's not why I'm writing).
I got home from the birthday shindig (not sure I should use that word to describe it) and of course, I immediately hop my happy ass online. After tooling around the usual sites, I decided to visit back to the local news site - and with the story I had read earlier was a picture of the DJ I know as Tharin Roberts - it WAS him that was arrested. As I was texting some friends that also knew him, they updated the story with more information and a quote from the bar/club owner where I used to throw my night. The guy is from Latin America and was basically commenting that he would find it odd that anyone would think Tharin didn't like non-whites (the news is speculating that him and his cohorts have ties to white supremecist group(s). http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=98343&catid=188
I got the wild idea to go down to the bar and talk with Victor (the owner) and also invited my friend Cas down, since her and I had been talking about getting together for a beer or two sometime coming up anyway. We both get there about the same time and are about to walk in when Cas got a call from her friend that another friend of her's had shot herself in her friend's apartment... Cas was obviously VERY upset (dropped her phone, almost fell over, etc) and asked me to take her to her friend's apartment (from now on, the friend with the apartment will be referred to as D). I help her over to my car and we head towards D's apartment.
When we get there, we find D sitting in the back of a squad car... (there were about 6 cop cars there at that time) - I had nowhere to park so I had to drop Cas, find a spot to park, then walk back over to D's street. By the time I got back, Cas had talked with the cop in the driver seat of the squad car - evidently they were planning on taking D down to the station because he was under investigation for homicide. Cas was confident that there was no way that could've happened because she had been in touch with D all day (no opportunity), and evidently she also knew how severely depressed the friend that killed herself (I'll refer to her as A) had been for at least two weeks.
A couple more of Cas/A/D's friends show up to find out what's going on. They were talking and I guess that A had moved out of where she was living and was staying with D because of some shit that went down at A's old roomie's place (I won't go into the details). A's old roomie wasn't too happy and evidently left a hate note on D's door (for A) that was quite vulgar and threatening. So, theories were abound: did D kill A, did A's old roomie kill A, or did A decide to take her own life? Being that I don't really know any of them other than Cas (have met D on several occasions but don't really know him and had only met A maybe once or twice and didn't know her at all) there was no means of me passing judgement on anyone involved.
After taking statements from D, Cas, and one of D's neighbors, the cops finally decided that it was suicide. I guess (based on one of the detective's statements) that it was pretty evident as such, but they were doing due dilligence to ensure their findings were accurate. Even after this and being told D would be released to leave withCas and I (and a friend of D and A's that had stuck around and was REAL upset) we sat around for three hours waiting for the detectives to wrap everything up and for the "body removal services" to come take A away (great name for it huh? the detective really was trying to be sensitive when he expressed it as such though). Finally someone was able to go in and grab D's medicine and clothes, etc so Cas, D and the other friend could all go back to her place. Cas had said earlier she didn't want to do it (she has a keen sixth sense and she had a feeling she couldn't deal with the vibes she'd get from the place) and no one was going to let D or his other friend go in there. I volunteered... but ended up going with Cas instead of going solo. I didn't really have much say in the matter, although I really wish I had not let Cas go in the bedroom where A did it... but we both went in there and I did my best to obstruct Cas' view and to get things from the... problem area.. so she wouldn't have to. I know it was hard for her and will be for a long time... it's going to take me awhile to get the scene out of my head. It's just not something you ever expect to have to see/deal with. After we gathered all of D's desired things we headed outside to meet D and his friend and head towards Cas' car (except D was driving himself straight to Cas') where we had left it earlier in the night.. From there I headed home, being sure to confirm Cas' arrival at her place (and on my way home I got to see Federal Denver Mint cops chatting in the middle of the road along with about 5000 other police cars lining various streets and plenty of uniform police officers walking the streets).
The entire drive home I knew there was one thing I needed more than anything, and that was a shower. Even after the shower I almost feel like death is clinging to me. It's not really a scent anymore, it's more like a feeling. But at least taking the shower allowed me to gather my thoughts, at least in the slightest. The whole thing has really made me realize how fate can bring people together (and a whole lot more) so that everyone can make the best out of a bad situation. If it weren't for the article about Tharin I wouldn't have thought about Kazmos or asking Cas to meet me there. If she hadn't met me there, she would've been with D when he discovered A... or if not, she would've been at her house which would've been too far for her to drive from to get to D's with the condition she was in. If I hadn't been at D's with Cas and D's friend, I think both Cas and D's friend probably would've lost it completely. If I hadn't been with them, well who knows what fate I could've suffered... but there was a reason for everything that happened tonight, very rarely do you see the finger of fate touch down so clearly.
I worry about Cas, D, and D's friend... but more for D and his friend than Cas, because I'm confident she could never make such a selfish decision... but if something happens to the other two it could conceivably be too much for her. I wish there was more I could do at this point.. but I think the three of them being together will hopefully help bring them through this and help them keep their heads up long enough that the empty feelings A left behind can be filled by something/someone and keep them from making any rash decisions.
I have to work in less than four hours but have a feeling that I won't sleep a wink, unless exhaustion gets me over the hump into sleepdom. I'm not really concerned about not sleeping or work, just more so hoping that I can wrangle my thoughts long enough to keep my own sanity. Tonight was definitely one for the books though...
hah, and here as I am about to wrap up, the EAS (emergency alert system) comes on with an Amber Alert. Abducted 5 year old, sounds like she was taken by her father? Sigh... I'm going to bed before there's any more shit to fill this night.
