Tow Truck Men

Previously, my only experience with tow truck guys was the one time in 9th grade that my mom and I got towed home after a Tri-Hi-Y meeting because our battery exploded. I cried the whole way, not because the car was dead but because I had whacked my head off the door when getting in and was pretty sure I had a concussion. The tow truck man thought I was nuts.

Cut to the day of Ty's funeral. I left this story out of my last post, mostly because its really quite special enough to deserve its own post. I had just dropped Meg and Jay off at the funeral home to get the van and go home and was headed towards the highway. But, wait, what's this? The engine heat warning light is on. Awesome. So I pulled over, popped the hood/looked under the car. Something was hissing and coolant was POURING out underneath. Even more awesome.

So long story short, AAA saves lives and I ended up getting towed home. From Cleveland. Since I was all alone, I, of course, had to ride the whole way in the tow truck. That was pretty sucky. Between cigarettes, he was shoving down an assortment of Hostess snack cakes and chugging a 2 L of Sierra Mist. Sierra Mist, really?? That's not even caffienated. And, well, he was just generally gross--you're average morbidly obese creepy tow truck man.

Earlier today, however, tow truck men everywhere were redeemed in my eyes. True miracle. I stopped at Duane's before heading home for break to eat lunch. Too bad I locked my keys... and everything else that wasn't directly connected to my body (phone, wallet, coat, etc.)...in my car when I got there. So I was on my way down to the street to Duane's apartment to get him and a coat hanger when God smiled at me. There were a cop and a tow truck at the end of the road, just finishing loading up two wrecked cars. I sprinted down and begged for help. They had a good laugh and then the tow truck man popped my door open in about 30 seconds. My hero!

He won't wake up.

Well, I suppose I've been putting this one off long enough.

Ty went to sleep... just a nap before dinner... last Wednesday and never woke up. I guess that makes it suck a little less. He wasn't in horrible pain and out of it, hooked up to pain meds for weeks and suffering for weeks like a lot of kids are when they die. He just went to sleep.

I drove up Monday afternoon and stayed almost all day Tuesday for all of the funeral stuff. It seems really weird to say but everything was very nice. I got there before "public hours" and his parents let me come in with them before so I could see him. Then they let me stay there extra, just like their family, and even wanted me to ride in the limo with them during the funeral. (I ended up not doing that since the limo only drops you off at lunch, doesn't take you back to the funeral home for your car, so I drove his parents back home afterwards.) I was so happy they treated me like family. Meg, Ty's mom, kept telling me that he really, really did love me and that they love me too and are so happy that we met. Despite how much I wish our reason for knowing each other never existed, I love them, too. They're pretty much my second family.

I was pretty much a mess, of course, but it was still really nice. Ty looked so cute and peaceful... he looked like my Ty again, not all droopy, sad and sick. They had a big banner and cards from his school. The funny things kids wrote on there plus Bella meowing at her stuffed cat pretty much non-stop provided some laughs so it wasn't all so terrible.

I just don't know what to do with myself now. Since the day after he died was Halloween, I managed to be ok at first. I decided I should have fun because Ty looooooooved Halloween and I'd be boring and stupid if I just sat around and moped. And then I had funeral stuff to do. I had to be there for his family, I had to say goodbye. But now, I just want to go back there and lay down on the couch with them and cry. Earlier I said there was nothing left for me to do for him... and Jennifer yelled at me... I know that there's still plenty left. That whole becoming a doctor thing. But that feels so far away, I just wish right now didn't suck so much.