Toby
Toby was another friend of Tom's. He was very young maybe nineteen or twenty. He had a seventeen year old blonde girlfriend whose name escapes me. They came over a lot. Eventually, they got married even though her parents didn't want it to happen. A day or so after they got hitched they were both at our house with another young fellow who was a friend of theirs.
I normally tried not to listen to whatever any of them were talking about. I was in the living room creating a batch of snow men piņatas. They were in all stages of construction but most were covered with the white snow bands and I was fixing on other parts of one while the rest dried. Some were sitting around just waiting for me to put mittens, scarves and hats and faces on them.
The sound of them "talking" got louder. I looked up and Toby had a knife out. He was yelling. I didn't catch on at first what it was all about. All of a sudden the knife is slashing but not at people. He took out two of my snowmen. Tommy may have been in the kitchen or playing video games. I just don't remember.
One of the snowmen he decapitated. I just stared dumbfounded. Then he was out the front door, slamming it behind him. I really don't know what happened in the next few minutes.
Eventually, the cops were called. I don't think I did the calling. I think the new bride did the calling because Toby was supposedly heading for the bridge to throw himself over it. The shit had hit the fan. The bride told the groom that she wanted to sleep with his best friend and his best friend wanted to sleep with her.
While this was upsetting, it wasn't worth throwing himself off a bridge.
It was hours before he was found, safe, but still stupid. You really can't fix stupid. I don't remember if they stayed together or not.
I do remember that either before all this or after it, on another day, Toby was sitting down probably playing a video game and he wanted coffee. Tommy took it to him and somehow spilled the hot coffee in his lap. He didn't seem to be upset with Tommy. He knew it was an accident but he did need to go to the dreaded Brown Memorial.
They gave him vicodin and he was flying high. I don't know how this happens because I have to take one every few months when I get bad back pain and all it does for me is make me fall asleep. Toby started finding any excuse he could to get hurt so he would, he hoped get more of the stuff.
Every time he got a new job within a week or so he was "hurt" on the job.