I am a Texas transplant who landed here just over six years ago, and I have come to adore Lafayette. When Mickey first went missing, it was easy for me to understand the coming together of this unique community, although I think perhaps that it far exceeded anyone's expectations.
Having said that, Mickey's disappearance captured me from the beginning, although like many here, I don't think that I can pinpoint exactly why. I didn't know her, or her family, but I do live here and pass many of the landmarks we have talked and read about every day. Perhaps that's it...the closeness of it all. I passed Artmosphere today on the way home, have crossed Whiskey Bay too many times to count, and often find my errands taking me by some part of UL. So now, I feel like I do 'know' them, as many do. A day has not gone by that I haven't thought about Mickey, or spoken of her with others. My heart is so heavy for her parents and siblings, as well as her close friends.
On Tuesday, before lunch, a friend and co-worker unexpectedly passed away while at work. My office is very small, so this hit us particularly hard. Not more than a few hours later, we learned that Mickey had been found. It has been an emotionally trying week, to say the least, and I can't wait for it to be over with, just as I can't wait for the suffering of Mickey's friends and family to be eased in some way - any way.
Tomorrow is my friend's funeral. It is there that I will thank God that I had the pleasure of knowing him, as well as being a small part of a community that has made me so proud. God bless Mickey Shunick, a ray of sunshine in this often times heartless world. All I can do now is hope that justice is indeed served, because justice is something that we all so desperately need to happen.
