Rabulous

They say good news travels fast. But truly, since the advent of Myspace and email, sad news travels even faster. It’s inevitable, and quite frankly, it sucks– like, sucks to the point where my heart stops in a very Pavlovian way every time my caller id reads an unexpected 757 phone number.

Jeff got an email and call from a childhood friend today. The friend wasn’t calling to ask us when we were leaving to come home to Va. Beach, but instead, the friend was calling to let us know that someone we knew and cared for had passed away. Receiving calls like that is never easy. In fact, calls like those make me question mortality and day-to-day decisions. It’s hard to grasp any loss, but when the loss is inflicted by senseless, irreverent assholes, it makes me angry. So angry my heart hurts.

We lost a friend yesterday as a result of a hit and run down at the Beach. Michael W. Taylor—Mikey–left Harpoon’s on Saturday night. He crossed Pacific and 24th, and from what I’ve read and what we were told, he stopped in the median and was then hit by a silver sportscar. The driver fled the scene. Mikey suffered massive head injuries.

We were told that he was taken off of life support yesterday afternoon. We have yet to get all the details about this accident, but it has been confirmed that Mikey Taylor’s accident was, indeed, a hit and run. As of today, they have not found any further information on the driver, other than that the car, probably a Mazda sportscar, suffered significant front end damage. This traumatic accident unexpectedly took the life of a friend, at a time often associated with happiness and celebration. And so, if anyone has any information, or by any chance, was near/at/ or knows anyone one who was at Harpoon’s or the site of the accident that night, please let me know. Or contact the authorities. Any details, information of any kind, would be a tremendous help.

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Michael Taylor—Mikey— was soft spoken, but friendly enough to make small conversation. Jeff and I, separately, were both friends with Mikey before we ever became a couple. Apparently, I was the only person still calling Mike, “Mikey.” Jeff and Mikey grew up in the same neighborhood. I’m assuming they rode their bikes, ate snails, and had makeshift WWF matches or whatever boys did. Me, I was fortunate to meet Mikey in summer school. I was one of those nerds that went to school in summer “to get ahead.”

Mikey, an effervescent spirit was asked to attend summer classes. He made me (and everyone) in class laugh all summer long. He echoed Jeff Spicoli, but a much cuter and smarter version. Much cuter. Since Va. Beach *really* is a small town, we all knew the same circle of friends– everyone knows someone that knows someone. It’s old friends like Mikey that make home so great.

Quite honestly, since school, Jeff and I probably only saw Mikey out at the bars. We never really hung out, but we did consider him a friend. Since it was always the same faces at many of the local bars back home, you could always count on seeing a friend wherever you went.
When we went home for Christmas last year, Jeff and I ran into Mikey at our old watering hole, not too far from our jr. high school. Mikey, having been at the bar several hours before us, shared his new found philosophies, revealing that life is too short and that he was a self-described “simple dude.” Mikey insisted that moving to Costa Rica was his ultimate plan; and that fishing and surfing made sense to him. Why not move somewhere that he loved and do the things he enjoyed for the rest of his life. Simplicity and the things he loved defined his happiness. Despite the various obstacles in his life, he figured it out– he knew what he wanted to do. It was a matter of getting there.

This chance meeting with Mikey came at a time when Jeff and I were questioning our lives—where do we want to be? What do we want to do? Is work defining who we are? We’ve yet to answer our own questions, but in those few hours with Mikey at the bar, an old friend reminded us about the simplicity of life and reverence of the ultimate goal. We really took to heart what Mikey said to us that night. Our little reunion with this old friend spoke volumes to us.
It’s people like Mikey—the people that understand the gift of life and can easily put things into perspective—reaffirms the ultimate goal in life: creating a life filled with contentment and happiness.

Stay safe this holiday season, guys. And please, if you have any information, please forward it along.