jakepaschal - Tumblr blog

[jakepaschal]

August 1st-August 6th, 2018

It was the evening of August 1st 2018. Life was going great for me and my family as my parents had pretty much finished their duties of raising 3 good children. My then 27 year old sister Casey was getting married in 3 weeks to the love of her life, a moment we had long been waiting for. Jimmy (26) was also at an exciting stage in his life, as he had a job that he was passionate about and girlfriend that he adored. It’s safe to say he was going to build a career and family off of.  And finally, I was in my first job out of school that I landed with my degree and hard work, making money and relieving stresses of student debt and educational pressure. Things were really looking up. Then tragedy struck. 

After a typical day at work, I got off the train and headed to a dermatology appointment. My iPhone 6 was nearing the end of its life as I had to charge it multiple times a day, so, by the time I left my evening appointment my phone had died and I did not have a charger in my car. When I got home I was pleasantly surprised to see my mom had made one of me and Jimmy’s favorite dinner. The first thing I did was plug my phone into my charger in my room, subsequently I went back down stairs to eat dinner. It was around 7 or 730, and Jimmy was not home for dinner, which was strange because my parents had seen him boating on the Rez a short time earlier while they were simultaneously walking around the nice man-made body of water in town. I didn't think much of it. 

I finished my dinner, went upstairs to my now charged up phone and had some texts from friends in a group message. The first one read “theres some shit going down at the Rez right now”. My heart sunk a little bit. The following messages were describing what was going down as some of my friends also live near Reservoir. They were talking about helicopters, ambulances, fire trucks, really all the things you don't want to see or hear about in a tight knit community. My first thought was that it can’t be Jimmy, there were a decent amount of other people on the lake that night. However, at the same time, I had a bad feeling. I then shouted to my parents downstairs as they were already worried as to why Jimmy hadn't come back. I said something along the lines of “Mom, Dad, this isn't good, I think Jimmy might be in trouble” which triggered panic. My dad bolted back to the Rez as I followed up in conversation with my Mom about what I was reading in my group chat. My mother then also went to the Rez. 

I stayed home for a little bit. I called the Canton Police to ask what was going on at the Rez. They informed me their were 2 trucks where the owners could not be located. James Paschal was one of them, and the other, who will remain nameless for the sake of this article, was also a friend of mine. Throughout the duration of finding out this news via text, Jimmy’s phone was going straight to voicemail and he wasn't answering anybody's texts. I then decided to call the owner of the other trucks friend, asking if he had talked to him recently. Sure enough, they had spoken 5 minutes ago. It was at that moment that I knew it was my brother who was seriously in trouble. 

I had to wait a few more minutes at the house for the police to come after I frantically drove a third car to the Rez. When I showed up, oh man, it was the worst possible sighting I could imagine. Police and Fire lights everywhere, multiple news stations trying to figure out what was going on, and a crowd of a few dozen people pondering why the media and emergency vehicles were in the vicinity.  I rushed through the “police do not cross” tape and on to the beach where a boat had washed ashore. It was my brothers boat, with his Nike shoes inside and the motor missing. There was a diver preparing to go into the water, and a helicopter hovering above with search lights. I didn't know what to do, I think my mind and body were in complete debilitating shock. I was then confronted by some Police and Fire who asked me some protocol questions about my brothers disappearance and confirmed my identity in relationship with him. That sucked. 

They escorted me over to my Mom and Dad on a hidden street away from the crowd. We waited. During this time I made some calls I never imagined I would have to make because I knew Jimmy’s luck was running out at that point. It had been around an hour since somebody heard him shouting for help, approximately 30 feet from the shoreline. I called my boss and told him I wouldn't be at work for a few weeks, I called my sister who was at her home in Woburn to tell her how serious the situation was, and lastly I called Sarah, Jimmy’s girlfriend, to break the news to her. I'll never forget her instantly start crying with a questioning “what” on the phone when I told her why Jimmy wasn't answering her calls and texts.

Fast forward a few hours (of what seemed like an eternity) while endlessly praying and hugging my parents, we were advised to go home and not wait for Jimmy to show up, whether it was dead or alive. The police drove me and my parents home where we were met with many friends and family to comfort us, anticipating the news we never wanted to hear. Some people stayed up while others were able to sleep a tiny bit. I crawled into a ball in my bedroom, basically paralyzed by the thoughts running through my head. 

August 2nd

It was a little after 2am, and the worst moment of my life. The State Police had knocked on our door to give my parents the news. I was awoken by my Dad opening my door with tears coming down his face. He said “Jake, they found him” in a panic. I think I responded with “is he, did he” and before I could finish my dad just shook his head. We hugged for a couple minutes to try and comfort each other. Meanwhile, in my brothers bedroom adjacent to mine, my Mom was on my brothers bed hysterically crying. At that point, me, my Sister, and my Dad all huddled on his bed with her, again trying to comfort each other in the darkest of times. 

I finally got to sleep somehow and when I woke up in the late morning I wasn't sure if I was in a dream or real life. The rest of the day felt like that. Eventually, me, my Dad, and my uncle had to muster up enough power to pick Jimmy’s truck up at the Rez and drive it home. That was tough. Oh and the news showed up at our house asking to speak with us, real professional. That’s about all i remember from the 2nd. 

August 3rd & 4th 

Depression. Couldn't eat, couldn’t sleep, I had never experienced a feeling this low in my life. Knowing the person I was closest to was no longer going to be involved in my life made seconds feel like minutes, and hours feel like days. And I honestly don't remember much of anything during these days because I still was not sure, if I was in a dream or real life. We then had to plan funeral and wake arrangements. WHAT?!? It was not easy to get out of the house and do that. 

August 5th

Jimmy’s wake was this day and it ran for about 7 hours because of the amount of gratitude displayed by Jimmy’s friends, family, coworkers, and community of Canton. I still don't know how my family (or any family that has a tragedy) is able to physically do this, but I honestly, can't remember much of the procedure because my mind was still in shock with all that was going on. I remember so little to only write as much as this paragraph. Still don't think I had brushed my teeth or showered since the first.

August 6th

Well, this was the day we had to lay Jimmy to rest. After the funeral service, me, my cousin, and some of his close friends carried his casket from a hearse to his spot at the cemetery that we had purchased, and we watched him leave this earth forever. wtf. Just like that, life changed forever.