Last day...

I'll be leaving here sometime today.
Still can't think of what's a "good time" to go, though...

Hell, every minute longer I'm here, it gets harder to conceive of a "good time" to go, ya know?

I got done that last post at about 6:00 am or so, then went to bed and slept til damned near 2pm.

When I got up, D3 was all but ready to go.
He had a 5-something flight to catch, so he took off shortly after I woke up.
While I was still asleep, he and Cat checked my car out for me and filled what was needed and it's ready.
Now, for me to get in that condition...

After D3 left, Cat grilled us all two hamburgers a piece.

In his bathrobe, mind you.
*grin*

And, just by the way... this man can COOK, y'all.

That low-country boil was soooo good. Boiled shrimp, smoked sausage, potatos and onions all cooked together (and yes, Paul, I had more than I could almost fit, to make sure I had some for you....) and Cat's homemade cocktail sause puts any national brand you wanna name to shame.

Looks like I missed Sam at the Crackerbox today, but, Lord... after all the shirts of Rob's she gave me, not to mention his reading glasses, plus just being able to be IN the Crackerbox, seeing where Rob lived, sitting in his computer chair and on his couch and all... it's fine. I'll miss HER, not being able to see her and Stacey again, but... what I was gonna go there for isn't that big an issue, so...
I'm sorry I missed her, but then again, not much.
Sam's been so sweet and gracious... God forbid I wear it out for her, ya know what I mean?
I've already gotten ever s'much more from this experience and Sam herself than I ever even dreamed of, I'm not gonna let missing what I can't find in Pa. bother me.
Hell, I'm more'n used to that.
*grin*

Since I don't have to hurry now, I think the general loose plan is kinda like this:

Try to finish last night's story, grab a shower, pack up the car, go.
Cry.
Stop, then do it again.
Repeat for the first few hundred miles.
Til about the time I'm juuust over halfway home, because then it'll be less "leaving" and more "arriving" to see Eric, my animals and my original home.
Seeing as to how this place is now my official second hiome and all...

But, once it becomes about arrival as opposed to leaving, it'll get easier.
I hope.

Now, back to the parking lot...

Just before we all left, I was talking to V-man. We were interrupted by the announcement, stage-whispered (loud enough for a deaf dog to hear), that the bearer of this "news" had been asked to "pass the word" that Mommie may not be there and even if she was that NO ONE was to speak to her. She hasn't been doing too well in the face of this thing and the family wants her to be as easy and calm about things in general as she can be.
That second part makes sense, even if the first part didn't... much.

After Livey walked away, V-man and I just exchanged roll-eyed glances and a half-grin each.

The most astounding part of this particular nugget was the later behavior of said "bearer of news".

Now, once again, I must interrupt myself to make a small explanation...

Those of you who get/got the email (which I'll try to remember to send before I leave) already understand where I'm coming from and Paul, in particular, understands how it is I'm trying to relate this, but... there are the masses of the completely snowed folks who are bound to think I'm in the same frame of mind I was before last night and will take what I'm about to say the wrong way.

Some folks LIVE to do that shit.

While 99% of me could care less if those who are her friends take me wrong, because they're gonna anyway, I still feel compelled to try to prevent that by saying this:

What I've got to relate isn't easy under the best of circumstances, let alone in this situation and about a person with whom you have "history".
But, there are things that happened, actions that were taken by Livey, yes, that are part of the whole story.
I can't avoid that and be complete and besides, if y'all know one thing about me, it's that I'm all about the truth, no matter who doesn't really like it.
And, I'm not about to change that fundamentally now.

But, I have been changed enough by this whole experience to not feel a need to "attack" Livey about the shit she does.

Unless you got my email, you may find that hard to believe, but you're just gonna hafta trust me on this.

There's no need for me to do that anymore because the reality of the dynamics of her life/mindset have fallen into place in my head, plus, she'll destroy herself allll by herself sooner than I ever could.

Also to hate a person, any person, comes with baggage and karma I have no room or need for in my life.

But, some of this is about Livey and it's not me who is choosing to make her the focus, it's her behavior that did that.

I'm only going to relate it as honestly and with as little "personal opinion commentary" in any form as possible.

Now, put on yer fuckin' seatbelts, y'all....

The person kissing Rob's box that someone felt it necessary to take him from, as well as the person "spreading the news" was, of course, Livey.

I found myself, in writing that last night, trying to distance myself by not saying her name, which a.) wasn't working and b.) felt ridiculous, so fuck it.

The truth is what it is and enough other people were there and saw it too that I can't lie or make shit up even if I wanted to, which I don't and those same people also saw what I'm about to say and more.
So, rest assured if I were to get it wrong or "imagine" shit or whatever, I'd get called on it, sure thing.
As I'd expect.
Knowing that, take what I say however ya want, but also know that it's the truth and my not saying her name will just make it more awkward... if that's even possible.
*rolls eyes* (At the thought of this part being any more awkward than it already is, not her herself... relax, damn it.)

Anyway... it's important to be clear that she's who said that about Mommie, as will be seen shortly.

Now... we leave the parking lot...

We all head over to Rob's parent's house.

Cat took a tiny detour to show us Rob's neighborhood and the house he grew up in.

When we got to the house, all the pictures from the poster board at the service were on the coffee table, so I sat on the floor and looked at 'em all again.

Then, Nancy came up and told me I needed to get some food.
I did and my Lord, these people can cook, too.
Everything was good.

I was afraid to eat too much, 'cause with being up for so long, adding a full belly woulda made me wanta go to sleep out in the yard or something.

For most of the day, I hung around in the back yard, just watching the various groups of people interacting, making each other laugh and doing the same things they did with Rob.

I knew then that this was as close to having gone to a blog meet Rob was at as I'd ever get, so I drank in as much of it as I could.

Periodically, throughout the day, as the opportunity presented itself as unobtrusively as possible, I'd tell particular people the things I wanted them to know and learned more things from others.

I'm not going to say specifically who said what as all that does is start shit.

That those who did felt comfortable enough to tell me the things that they did suggests to me a level of friendship that I'm not willing to risk by dragging them into the middle, here.

I'll tell ya's exactly who I imparted information to, but who imparted it to me will be kept private to protect those who trusted me. Further, I'll say no more now than necessary to relate the whole story.
Again, if anyone has any questions or needs anything made clearer, just email me.
If I know you're one of the ones who oughta know, I'll tell ya.
By the same token, if I think you only want to know to start shit, I'll tell ya it's "nunya", as in none of your business.
Fair enough?
Good.

The biggest, worst thing I was told was that, for all her "warning" people not to bug Mommie, she sure did seem to out of her way to bother that poor woman herself.

I was told that she went to Mommie's house (again, remember, after telling others that NO ONE was to speak to her if she did show up at the house, which she didn't even do, Livey went to HER to do this) and she told Mommie that Rob had been drinking again.

Huh, wha?

Yep.
The person who told me this displayed anger for the first time in relating it.

I don't know the specific words that were said to Mommie, but I was left with the impression that she was led to believe that he'd been drinking PERIOD for a while before this.
Not that he'd slipped once, but had resumed, period.

Which, even if it HAD been true, was NOT something the family wanted her made aware of in her present condition.

(Now, ya see why this shit is hard enough to even SAY, let alone I add to my own discomfort by making it an "attack"? Christ on a stick...)

Anyway, I did sit down at one point and had a very long, very nice, very informative conversation with Stacey, whose name I keep leaving the damned "e" out of, I'm so sorry... I'll get it right from here on out, I promise... *smile*

I also got to speak some to Key and Sam and Cat and Nancy among others and they all had a part in me coming to my realization about this thing, which was covered in the email. (And is why I'm not feeling the need to attack Livey anymore. Right now.)

Self-defense may render that particular sentiment obsolete some day, but it won't be my doing...

Anyway, throughout the day, a few people asked me if it was true that I blame Livey for Rob's death.
I told each of them, yes it is, and asked if they'd like to know why.
Most did, one didn't.
It's all good...

The ones who wanted to know, we talked and I pointed out some things and they pointed out some things and there were no arguements or bullshit.
Instead, we all seemed to learn from it and to maybe adjust our thoughts, opinions and attitudes some from it. (And, I mostly am referring to how it affected me personally, but nobody took a swing at me, so I'm assuming it was okay for them, too...)

At one point, Livey did feel a need to ask if I preferred she didn't speak to me and I told her yes, I did prefer that.

So, why she felt a need to park herself in the middle of most of the places I was after that is beyond me, but... whatever. I just kept walking away.

As it got dark, my focus was drawn to the pickin' and singing. I sat outside, just at the edge of the light coming from the porch, with those tree frogs singing behind me and just watched and listened to them play and laugh and tell jokes and play and sing some more.

After a while, a bunch of people decided to go to the Exchange, as it's where V-man met Rob and it started to break up about then.

Before we left, I was given hugs and very kind words by most of Rob's family and I made a special effort to speak to his brother Dave.

I just wanted him to know what Rob did for me, that he was loved by so many of us here online and that I appreciated his, Dave's, unknowing gift to me of allowing me to be as close to an actual Rob-is-there-too blog meet as I was ever gonna be able to get.
Then, I gave him a kiss on his cheek and we, D3, Cat, Nancy and I left, too.

Now, since the setting and tone of the story changes here, I think it's a good time (there's that phrase again) to stop again, as I really need to get my shit together to go.

Eric just called and gave me a little hell because it's three hours later already than I told him I was gonna leave.

Guess I oughta get it in gear, huh?

Gotta get a shower, make some coffee, pack m'shit, pack the car, make sure I don't forget anything and start the long trek back to Pa.

I'll be using this time to do more thinking, figuring out of things, reflecting and learning.

And, if I'm not deadassed tired when I get home, I'll try to wrap this up then.

Oh and Libby... thank you so very much for your kind offer, but I think by the time I'm in your area, it'd be much too late to be buggin' people, even though I know you'd not think of it that way.
Thank you.
I do have your number and if anything happens around there and I need help, I may use it.

Meantime...

Peace y'all...

Posted by: Stevie at 07:30 PM

Comments

1 Color me 'Not Surprised' LOL. Anywho, drive careful, Stevie.

Posted by: Chablis at July 01, 2006 08:08 PM (tMoUV)

2 Yeah what Chablis said....

Reading that part about how she told Mommie that Rob had been drinking again....I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. What kind of person....nevermind, WE KNOW WHAT KIND of person...

Travel safe.....

Posted by: Ruth at July 01, 2006 08:26 PM (kqTXB)

3 Stevie, I'd like to be privy to that e-mail if you wouldn't mind. I know my name is not well known within the Rob circle but we liked it that way, me especially. There is a recent post aboutmeon his blog be he and I liked to keep my aneout of the mix so as not to catch hell from ivey or others. I am the one who sent him the box of goodies he showed on his site about a minh ago without attaching aname to it.
Rob and I had many a conversation about Livey and I have some resentment towards her about the happenings before his death.
If you wouldn't mind, I'd be grateful.
Thanks,
Dawn

Posted by: Dawn at July 01, 2006 08:44 PM (ZJsIz)

4 DAMN!!! You'd think I'd been drinking. Actually I'm not...not at the moment anyway. I am just heartbroken over this whole thing and want to know what happened and what the speculations are.
I CAN NOT believe that Livey told Mommie that, what a fucking imbecile, I'm sure
that will make Mommie feel much better huh?
The things people will do to try to get them selves closer to someone or make them feel like some kind of hero....and WHO THE HELL let her give the "stay away from Mommie" speech?? Damn!

Posted by: Dawn at July 01, 2006 08:48 PM (ZJsIz)

5 Bah, what a bitch. I'm not surprised.


Safe trip Stevie and my offer is open 24 hours a day. I'm on a weird schedule so I've been staying up till the wee hours for the last few nights anyway.

Posted by: Libby at July 01, 2006 09:21 PM (DGO1F)

6 I'd take Libby up on her offer. It would be fun and help keep you alert for the ride home. Have a safe trip.

Posted by: Maeve at July 01, 2006 10:10 PM (b/7xM)

7 I'm just a blog lurker, never post much anywhere but I have been following the trainwreck that is Livey. I, for the life of me don't understand why Sam would invite Livey to the wake if she new how her dad felt about Livey.
I just knew the person who was kissing the box was Livey.

Posted by: jane at July 01, 2006 10:13 PM (b7XiE)

8 All roads lead to here.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at July 02, 2006 04:36 AM (jijEu)

9 I'm gonna try to send you a song....

Posted by: Tuning Spork at July 02, 2006 04:46 AM (jijEu)

10 ...hope you receuved it!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at July 02, 2006 06:27 AM (jijEu)

11 Received, even...

Posted by: Tuning Spork at July 02, 2006 06:28 AM (jijEu)

12 I find that so sad. I try so hard to stay out of the drama but to tell Mommie that. How awful. Now I just feel ill!

I can't beleive she couldn't even let the man be burried in peace...

Posted by: Beatle412 at July 02, 2006 07:11 AM (mX3RX)

13 You be safe on your trip home girlie! Good reading your updates, and I look forward to you being back home again!

Posted by: Bob at July 02, 2006 07:49 AM (uKCKK)

14 Hey Stevie,

I am a fairly new reader to your blog, and I must say I enjoy your style of writing. I hope you have a safe trip and I look forward to reading your next post.

Posted by: the other Steph at July 02, 2006 09:31 AM (ZGcUL)

15 Well I assume Stevie has passed through Raleigh without stopping since I didn't get a call last night. I expect that if she's driving through she's safe and should be approaching home soon.

Sorry you didn't have time to stop darling. I would have loved to meet you and I might have been able to help you out with a certain gardening question..... Duh. Wish I had thought to mention that sooner.

Looking forward to knowing you're safely home.

Posted by: Libby at July 02, 2006 10:34 AM (DGO1F)

16 Anyone know if she made it home ok?

Posted by: Deb at July 02, 2006 12:53 PM (wocRc)

17 She got home fine everybody.

P.

Posted by: Light & Dark at July 02, 2006 02:23 PM (FOY2O)

18 I'm glad to know Stevie made it home safely, I've been thinking about her. Thanks L&D. Get some well deserved rest Stevie and let us know how your trip home went.
Dawn

Posted by: Dawn at July 02, 2006 04:16 PM (ZJsIz)

19 Oh, honey...I'm so sorry. I know what Rob meant to you. I only had limited contact with/from him, but the correspondence that was passed was extremely engaging, jovial and respectful. I was the proud recipient of an 'Acidbath' one time, too, which garnered me some of the most hilarious e-mails (from his readership) and finest readers I've ever laid claim to.

Had I known you were going to be ANYwhere in the vicinity, you could have experienced the madness that is the House O' Superior. Ah, well. Some other time.

Here's hoping that God lays thick a healing salve on your grieving heart.

Posted by: Jett at July 02, 2006 06:42 PM (53YHp)

20 Livey was asked by a member of the family -- actually, "told" is a better word -- to go talk to Mommie. She was asked directly about Rob, and answered honestly that she knew he had "slipped" recently but didn't know if that continued. I suppose a "white lie" might have been in order, but it's hard to look someone in the eyes and lie when they trust you to tell the truth.

Posted by: Mike at July 03, 2006 12:32 PM (CJdjW)

21 Oh, Mikey, Mikey, Mikey....

Jeezus, man.

Yer in DEEP, ain'tcha?

You really believe anyone from Rob's family INSISTED she go visit Mommie?
AFTER it was announced by LIVEY that she was told by the family that NO ONE was to bother that poor woman?

Do you really think Rob's family is that contradictory?
Do you think if they were to choose ONE person out of the group that was there, they'd have chosen HER to be the one visitor?
And did ya know she's the ONLY one that was said to?
They didn't feel a need to say that to everybody else. Wonder why (I hope)? Think about it.

Please, man.
Yer about to make my eyeballs gush blood, here.

Who told you she was "told" to visit Mommie?
Was it Livey, by any chance (and how did I know that, right?)?

And, let me tell ya another thing...

Son, Livey is a PRO at lying.

To herself, you and anybody who'll listen.
She works with old people, for fucks sake.
She tells them "little white lies" all the time about whatever. It's inherent in that job.

"Will my children be coming to see me today?"
"Well, Honey, I'm not sure. I think I heard that they have this shit to do today, so they might not make it..."
(Or whatever you'd tell someone like that as opposed to "No. They're glad your here and want you to just die so they can quit worrying about this shit. Now shut up and eat yer prunes...")

Only reason Livey said what she did to Mommie was for the "drama" of it all. To be the "big shot", the one "closest to Rob" who'd have "inside" knowledge of such a thing.
Same reason she went around trying to convince everybody that she and Rob were "in love" and boyfriend/girlfriend when he died. (And, THAT, in case you're wondering, was to support herself in having gone around acting like she was his widow.) (Further, I can send you MANY posts by Rob himself in which he stated EXACTLY how he felt about her and I can ASSURE you "love" wasn't it.)

Hell, man... fuckin' THINK about it for a moment, wouldja?
They managed to tell Mommie Rob had DIED without telling her he'd slipped.
Does that tell you anything?
Like maybe she really wanted him to be able to be strong enough to never drink again, and that, while losing him was a hard blow to take, finding out he'd had a drink again would have HURT her, broken her heart?

Man, Mike.

You really do need to stop with the knee-jerk "protect poor Livey from Stevie" reactions and start thinking about this shit.

You're not protecting her from ME by doing this.
I'm not after her. She's not worth the effort or my time.
All I'm doing is telling the TRUTH about what went on.
And, all your doing is "protecting" her from the REALITY of the situation.
Which is, to use HER favorite freakin' word, ENABLING her to persist in her bullshit and, ultimately, will be the most harmful thing you can help her do to herself.
Not to mention shitting all over Rob's memeory... (which WILL piss me off soon).

If ya think she's so fuckin' wonderful and so helpless and defensible, you need to start trying to get her to accept reality, not feed her fantasylife horseshit.
IF you really care about her so much, that is.

Did she tell you that she's been forbidden by a LAWYER to contact the family ever again?
Probably not, huh?
That's because it doesn't fit in her version of "the truth".

Just use your head, Mike.
Unless you're as far gone off the deep end as she is.
Which you don't SEEM to be... yet.

I'm not telling you what to do or who to believe.

I'm just saying "USE YOUR HEAD, man... for the love of GOD, use your head."

You'll spare yourself at lot of grief later on if you start doing that NOW.

Posted by: Stevie at July 03, 2006 02:31 PM (zRFkU)

22 One other thing... if they, her and Rob, were sooooo "in love" and "bf/gf" when he died, how did she not know "whether or not it (his drinking) had continued"?

(And, here's a hint... she didn't know because he'd told her six ways from Sunday to fuck off, never comment, email or call him again. In case you can't figure that out, Rob having said as much on Gut Rumbles and all...)

(And, yeah, y'all... I'm beginning to get a tad pissed with this crap now, but I'm fine. I'll maintain. For now...)
(But, GodDAMN, ya know?)
(Dude's got the answers to his own horseshit belief in her right in his OWN WORDS and still can't see it. That's fuckin' SAD, man. Also is making me really wonder about him, but... we'll see, I suppose. We'll see...)

Posted by: Stevie at July 03, 2006 02:36 PM (zRFkU)

23 Actually, the "announcement" was that Mommie wasn't to meet anyone new. I could guess at their reasons (Mommie is 90-something years old as I understand it, and the whole thing was probably very stressful), but I didn't consider it my business to pry. Anyway, Livey wasn't "new" to Mommie.

And Livey never said (at least not in my presence) that she and Rob were "bf/gf" when he died. In fact, she was explicit that they weren't even talking, by blog comment or otherwise, at the time. (She was angry with him, he was apparently angry with her.) That statement was in my presence, to at least two different people.

And again, I suggest (should I beg?) that everyone should just "cool it." Really. This shit has spiralled into a bad soap opera, if that isn't redundant. (And no, I don't want to see the mud-fight.)

Posted by: Mike at July 03, 2006 04:07 PM (CJdjW)

24 I'm not even gonna dignify the first two thirds of this shit with a reply. It's clear to me now that you're beyond hope... for now.

However, I do have a suggestion regarding this part...

And again, I suggest (should I beg?) that everyone should just "cool it." Really. This shit has spiralled into a bad soap opera, if that isn't redundant. (And no, I don't want to see the mud-fight.)

Well then, shut the fuck up. For all your not wanting to get involoved and not wanting this to spiral into a bad soap opera (and yes, that IS redundant... I hate soap operas on TV or online), you sure are going out of your way to stir the pot by coming HERE, of all places, bleating like a typical "sheeple" about how innocent she is.

Don't wanna get involved?
Don't wanna see "the mudfight"?

Fine.

Take your pathetic horseshit on down the fuckin' road then.
Go preach to the idiotic choir in her comments.
Because you're really just making yourself look even more ridiculous than she managed to do by doing this.
M'kay?

*christ*

Posted by: Stevie at July 03, 2006 04:23 PM (zRFkU)






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