Last night we arrived home a little after 8 p.m. from a fun day in DeKalb. Doug ordered pizza and after dinner we taught Phil to play Ticket to Ride. Meg spent her evening at Nick's visiting with his Grandma. Cameron let us know that he needed a break from people and spent most of his night upstairs on the phone avoiding his last English assignment. He did come down to check on us a couple of time to see how Uncle Phil was doing in the game or to let us know that he and Samuel were talking about going to Fort Wayne on Sunday.
Shortly after 11 p.m., Cameron told Doug that he needed to talk to him. I assumed that it was about his plans for the rest of the weekend, so Phil and I continued our discussion on the nationwide formula shortage and rising gas prices. Doug returned to the conversation and I asked him what Cameron needed. I wasn't prepared for what he said. Cameron had told him that there had been a shooting Saturday afternoon in Goshen and the photo on the news was the Rios' home. He also shared that Ethan had called Cameron to tell him that there were rumors that one of those killed was Richard. I instantly called Meg to see if she had heard anything on social media. Everything inside of me said that it couldn't be true. I knew from experience with Keyshawn's car accident three years ago that there was a good chance that the information Cameron was receiving was accurate, but decided to be hopeful that there was a misunderstanding. Shortly, after talking to Cameron, my phone rang. When I saw that it was Avery's mom, my heart sank. She confirmed our worst fears. I broke the news to Cameron and we just sobbed. Samuel's mom called next to make sure that Cameron knew what had happened and to let me know that they were going to the Rusel's. She encouraged Cameron to get there as soon as he could.
The rest of the night was a blur with a lot of tears and questions. Thankfully, Meg and Nick arrived right after I got off of the phone with Marissa. Meg helped pack Cameron a bag for Avery's and Nick offered to drive him to Goshen. They listened to Juice Wrld on the way while Cameron shared stories and tears. Needless to say, no one got much sleep last night.
Today was a day of grief and support. While Doug was taking Phil to the airport in South Bend, Meg and I drove over to the Rusel's. Cameron wanted his van and we wanted to check on him. We spent a half hour or so talking with him listening to Richard stories and crying. He decided that he wanted a break and thought nine holes of golf with Austin would be the perfect way to spend the afternoon. Meg then headed over to Nick's to spend time with his family.
Doug and I met Cameron again in Goshen at 4 p.m. at Bethany. The school invited all of the junior parents and students to gather together. We received some more information about the status of Richard's sisters who had also been injured in the shooting. We were also given a schedule for the events planned for the students of Bethany on Monday. It was a somber meeting and afterward Doug and I decided to stay in Goshen, just in case Cameron needed us.
We did see Cameron one more time before the end of the night. He was headed to Reisha's for awhile and then was going to spend the night at Avery's again. The boys wanted to play Jackbox and tell Richard stories. After Cameron left, I texted some of our friends and family members to let them know what had happened. They instantly offered prayers for Cameron, his friends and the Rios' family.
I was absolutely drained by the end of the night. I spent the rest of the evening enjoying all of the pictures that we had on our camera roll of Cameron, Richard and their friend group. I especially appreciated the fun one that Cameron and Richard had just posted on Instagram on Friday. I thought of all of the times that I had heard from Cameron this year, "Hey Mom, Richard and I . . ." I hoped that would never stop.
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