TLDR: This one is a real-life account, not a fictional write-up.
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It's been almost a year since my daughter and I received some really difficult news. A friend of hers Randi, who she played softball with through most of her youth, was taken from our community far, far too soon at age 20. She is gone at way too young, and even more tragically she left a young son behind.
It was the circumstances of her death that came as the most shocking thing. She was murdered - strangled - in a Sioux Falls residence by a former boyfriend. She had a restraining order on this menace, which from what I've heard was not respected in the weeks leading up to this crime. I suppose I could go into a rant about some of the circumstances surrounding the case ... the long time it took for prosecutors to fully charge the perpetrator, the feckless nature of a restraining order ... but I'd rather just remember Randi.
I really feel for Randi's parents who I didn't really know but were a constant presence at the softball games. They are kind, dedicated people who didn't deserve this tragedy. As insignificant as it is, I decided to do a minor league relocation as a shrine for Randi in BBA-land. The team is named Inferno after the last softball team that Randi and my daughter played in together and they're down in Tucson to match the name. In my mind's eye, there is an awesome bronze statue of Randi right inside the gate, and an added importance for the players down in AAA to earn a Rupert Horn championship.
