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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Dark Coda

I was heading towards Trader Joe's to buy groceries for a friend who was coming home from the rehab hospital with a busted knee-cap, listening to the radio, when Bill Benica read the snippet of the news that a George Taylor had been arrested.  I rather dumbly thought, "Hmm, that's odd.  Must be another guy named George Taylor in the county," until Bill also noted that Gewynn Taylor, his wife, had been found dead out at Montana de Oro and George had been arrested and taken to jail. 

At that, my only response was a stunned, blank, "Whaaattt?"

I had known the Taylors almost from the first day I moved here in 1984 and, like all Los Ososians, got involved in the many Sewer Wars.  Right in the midst of almost anything having to do with Los Osos and/or any and all water, land, open space, good governance issues large and and small, there were the Taylors. They became a fixture at CSD meetings and BOS meetings, as well as being involved in many local community projects.  To some they were "community activists," to others, "gadflies." Either way, they were fierce "Civic Warriors," a constant presence in public matters, a pair of citizens who were always present and involved and speaking out for years and  years.

And, like all of us, while they were not getting any younger, they were still out and about.  Indeed, I remember seeing them at the Christmas Vocal Arts performance only a week ago.  While George was looking very frail (at 86, to be expected), both of them were smiling and looked like they were enjoying the evening. 

And now Gewynn is dead and George is in jail, engulfed in a world of unimaginable pain, a nightmare of horror that I would never wish on anyone, accused of some sort of murder/suicide pact.  The police are investigating, the neighbor's are puzzled, the community is filled with shock and speculation, and friends and family are stunned and confused and left to untangle this mystery.

And of this mystery, I can tell you that when the investigation is completed and a more comprehensive narrative unfolds, when this sad drama finally plays out, with no possible good ending in sight, when all will be said and done, those friends and family will be left with a permanent sorrow because, ultimately, there will be no good explanations.  There will be understanding, perhaps, there may even be forgiveness and peace, but there will never be any real answers to a mystery that goes to the dark, irrational tangle of the human heart.

 

13 comments:

Sewertoons AKA Lynette Tornatzky said...

Perfectly expressed and written, thank you Ann. Mystery is the word for it. I feel baffled and soul sick. Sad, sad, sad.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Why, Ann, why do you give space and comfort to the very person who destroyed our community with her vile slander toward our brothers and sisters?

Why?

Will you please answer that simple question?

Anonymous said...

Why don't YOU put your name out here? Perhaps it is YOU we should fear! At this time we don't need you spreading more of your hate!

Let's hope Ann continues to dump your comments in the trash where they belong!

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:59 AM: The answer is simple. They are the only ones each other has.

Anonymous said...

Why don't YOU put your name out here?

OK. My name is the same as yours: Anonymous.

By the way, what are you afraid of?

Oh, you have said horrible things about your neighbors as well. So you are afraid of your guilt, too.

Anonymous said...

Geeze people - grow up. Neither Lynette nor anyone else has slandered or 'said horrible things' about their neighbors. This is an old rumor from someone who should know better. Can't say the name here.
Do you believe EVERYTHING you read on the internet? My condolances.

Anonymous said...

I knew Gewynn. She reminded me of my mom. My parents were around her age, 82-84. But they had no suicide pact. Fortunately, they passed within a few days of each other. I hope her daughter can take care of George. He's a good man.
As far as Lynette goes, Lynette
is no friend of Gewynn's. They knew each other casually and went to the same meetings, but they weren't friends. In fact, Gewynn told me Lynette sometimes bothered her at office hours when she asked questions about seawater intrusion. I was there for one of those meetings.

I hope SHE doesn't show up to the memorial tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Let's hope the few who have to strike out at anyone for any reason tomorrow will just stay home.

Tomorrow's service is about grieving for Gewynn. PERIOD!

Anonymous said...

"Neither Lynette nor anyone else has slandered or 'said horrible things' about their neighbors.This is an old rumor from someone who should know better."

Facts are not rumors. It's well documented. So shut up.

Churadogs said...

From so many comments from so many Anonnymice over the years I've been publishing this blog, I would say there's a certain amount of serious "derangement" in this community, especially in the group collectively known as The Sewer Crazies (on both sides of the issue). It's quite fascinating, especially since so many commenters seem to be oblivious to how self-revelatory their comments are. Being an Anonymous prevents people from knowing WHO you are, but it doesn't shield you from revealing WHAT you are.

Anonymous said...

"Being an Anonymous prevents people from knowing WHO you are, but it doesn't shield you from revealing WHAT you are."

You don't have to be anonymous to reveal WHAT YOU ARE, Ann.

Churadogs said...

Anonymous 10 a.m. So, Anon 10, why are you still an Anon?

Alon Perlman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.