Santa Barbara mourns the passing of a dear, dear friend. Actually two equally dear friends.

Sunday, June 08, 2008 marked the end of an era. A life lived to fullest, ended all too soon in a tragic accident. Vida Forrest was the first to discover the mangled body at her Uncles beautiful home. Lifeless and limp, in a wilted heap on the hickory planks of the cabinesque kitchen, her beloved friend no longer responded to her beseeching cries. Shock and horror quickly followed as everyone in the kitchen fell into a hush as Vida cradled the devoured loved one in her arms.

Zachary, the jackass husband, laughed at first but even his calloused, pea sized, shell of a heart went out to his grieving wife in her obvious pain. Sympathy soon poured out of her Uncle and his wife as they realized the gravity of the situation. They too felt the deep love and profound loss this senseless tragedy left in its wake.

Even as Vida held her tried and true friend’s deflated body she recalled the good times. All the fun they had together. How she was always instantly cheered up just by the presence of this selfless friend. In between tears she said, “No matter what, whenever we were together I always smiled.” They had been together in New Mexico, Texas, and for a brief time in California. “My husband actually hated my friend, he threaten to separate us many many times, “ she recalled ruefully, “but I wouldn’t stand for it, we were a package deal.”

Introduced by her late grandmother, Vida and her friend had many years together, more than her and her husband and some of her closest friends. “We’d often lose touch over the summer but every fall and winter we’d get back together” she reminisced. “This summer was different and we actually spent most days together here in Santa Barbara.” “What will I do now?” she lamented aloud.

Vida searched her friend for any salvageable sign of life, but from every angle it was clear it’s life had been brutally and eternally truncated.

While technically murder, investigations are pending as to whether it will be declared involuntary manslaughter or if there was a more sinister conspiracy to commit murder. As the only person with a motive to commit murder, Zachary will be detained and questioned. It remains to be seen if Ruby, the killer, unknowingly took an innocent life, or if she was an accomplice in Zachary’s grand scheme. Ruby is a minor but regardless of her part, her parents (Vida’s Uncle and his wife) will not be held criminally responsible. Vida said just the knowledge that they raised a murderous monster will be punishment enough.

Please join me as we mourn the passing of both close friends. At first it was just the one unexpected, heinous loss of life, but as all pure souls do, this one had a mate. Its mate couldn’t go on after losing one half of its pair in life. In the final chapter of this catastrophically fatal story, both friends were laid to rest. Side by side as they were throughout life, joined together not only by love, but also by their heads, almost folded together.

As their only living relative Vida had this to say,

“I loved them both equally and they made me very very happy. Though I may find a physical replacement, nothing…NOTHING will ever emotionally replace my favorite Duck Socks. Rest in piece guys…or should I say pieces. I won’t let the chewed, dog saliva, missing bill image be what I remember you by. I will always love you.”

*In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Buy Vida New Thick Wintery Duck Socks With Rubber Footie Balls fund.