Bottoms Up!!!

I went to a funeral today. Funerals are always depressing events but this one seemed more so since the man who died committed suicide. Oh, he didn’t take a bunch of pills, put a gun to his head and pull the trigger or put a noose around his neck and step off into space. In fact, he didn’t even realize he was committing suicide the whole time he was in the process of preparing for his death. No, he would even say that I was crazy for making such a statement as he committed suicide, but facts are facts and there’s not a thing I can do to change that.
Last Saturday we had what is known as Buffalo Days around these parts. It’s sort of a town wide block party with a little carnival and crafts show thrown in. It’s a Memorial Day weekend tradition and has been for many years. Doug, the man whose funeral was today, took his fourteen year old son to town to join in the festivities and entertained himself by spending the day in a bar. Late that afternoon, Doug decided it was time to head for home so he loaded up his son, girl friend, and his sons buddy into the family pickup and took off down the road. Just three miles outside of town the days activities caught up with him and Doug lost control of the truck. He over corrected as he tried to get back on the road and sideswiped one car and struck another head on. Doug and his girl friend died at the scene. The son’s friend is in a coma and will spend the rest of his life as an invalid if he lives at all. Doug’s son, although not seriously hurt physically, is walking around in a mental fog unable to deal with what he has been through.
Oh yes, one other small detail. Doug actually survived the wreck itself but was pinned in by the force of the crash. The truck then caught fire and Doug engulfed in the flames, died screaming for someone to please shoot him and end his agony.