Consequences(214)

TRAGIC ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIFE OF YOUNG GAMING PHENOMENON

Simon Johnson, 28, of Palo Alto, California died Wednesday, November 3, 2011, after a tragic accident.

Claire put the papers down and ran to the bathroom—suddenly ill. She hadn’t seen Simon in eight years, hadn’t consciously thought of him—now he was gone.

The vomiting caused her to tremble. Once she was done, she turned to see Tony standing in the doorway—watching his wife. She didn’t know how he’d respond to her reaction, but she assumed he’d think it was inappropriate. Suddenly, Claire didn’t care. Dejectedly, she sank to the floor and surrendered to whatever was coming her way. Her tears pooled as the cool tile soothed her pounding head. Though she heard Tony’s approaching footsteps, Claire knew she was too weak to defend herself. She closed her eyes and waited for his booming voice.

It didn’t come—instead, Tony silently knelt beside her, helped her stand, and tenderly carried her back to the suite. When he laid her on the sofa, he sat and placed her head in his lap. For the longest time, they didn’t talk. He stroked her hair as she cried. She cried for Simon—not a lost love—she was married to someone else. Claire cried for a life lost too young. The article said he was twenty-eight—she was twenty-eight. Wasn’t that was too young to die?

Finally, she managed to ask, “How did he die?”

“The article said his plane went down in a remote area over the mountains”—her sobs resumed—“The authorities found the crash site, no survivors. It came across my news feed, and I rushed home.”

Claire regained enough composure to sit. Looking to her husband, Claire tried to explain, “He was a friend. I’m not upset because a longtime ago, he and I were involved—he was just too young to die.”

Tenderly hugging her, Tony said, “I really understand. I overreacted before.” He gently moved her hair away from her face. “The article said he was recently engaged.” That news restarted Claire’s tears—she wanted him to be married and loved by someone.

When she calmed, Tony brought her tissues, and she read the rest of the news release:

Officials found the crash site of Mr. Johnson’s personal aircraft in the upper elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Mr. Johnson’s flight plan indicated he was on his way home to Palo Alto after a meeting with investors in the Los Angeles area. Mr. Simon Johnson, self-made millionaire, was best known for his gaming creations. His creative start occurred with Shedis-tics, a Rawlings Industries subsidiary in Northern California. Mr. Johnson began his own gaming company, Si-Jo, in 2005. Mr. Johnson, originally from Indiana, was scheduled to wed Ms. Amber McCoy of Palo Alto, California, on April 21, 2012. Information regarding services has yet to be released by family.

Claire put down the pages and laid her head on Tony’s chest. He put his arms around her as she drifted between sobbing, crying, and dreaming. When she awoke, her head pounded, and her eyes felt swollen and tender. Tony was still there, holding her. She got up and went to the bathroom, washed her face, and came back out. “I think I’m done. Thank you for being so understanding.”

He motioned for her to return to the sofa. When she did, he put his arm around her. “Did you know he worked for one of my companies?”

“He told me that in Chicago—saying how strange fate can be. He said he wanted to thank you for the great start.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t have the chance.”

Tony didn’t respond. What could he say?

The next day, Tony worked from home and Claire rested on the sun porch, feeling her emotions teetering between sad and empty. Despite the recent drop in temperature, merciful sunshine made the porch comfortable. The trees were once again bare and the grass had resumed its winter gray cast. Claire thought the entire situation seemed unreal and wondered about Amber McCoy and Simon’s parents. She couldn’t imagine what they were going through.