Remembering Scott...

Seven years ago, I lost my dear friend, Scott Brown. Scott was walking home after a night out with some friends. He had a few drinks and knew walking a few blocks was the right thing to do. He made it to his driveway. As he walked up the drive, a girl who had not made the same decision as Scott misjudged the intersection and hit him.

Scott was always doing something to make me laugh. He was incredibly smart and friendly. All of us who knew him well know he earned the nickname "Slothy." A few days before he died we went to grab dinner and catch up. I had wrecked my car a few weeks before and he was teasing me about it. We always joked about one or the other of us falling or doing something embarrassing. Seeing if we could predict the "bad things" that might happen to the other. Out of no where he looked at me and said, "Stella, you know I only wish good things for you right?" I just laughed and said I knew.

The girl who responsible for Scott's death was not much older than he was. She made a choice that so many people of all ages face often. I will never understand why people make this decision. I know, it is not a matter of the cost of the cab or the hassle of getting your car the next day. Many times, it is something deeper within the person. Please, don't drink and drive and be aware of those around you who might. We don't need more people like Scott taken from us.