George has a lot going for him.  Good looks, intelligence, health and a decent sense of right and wrong.  So much so, that he's managed to stay out of gangs and keep his life on track despite some terribly negative influences around him.  I know he doesn't live in the greatest neighborhood, but his family is a close-knit one, so that helped give him a moral compass while he was growing up. 

I don't know him that well - he works in the supply room of the hotel where I'm employed as a manager-on-duty.  Our social contact is limited to me giving him his keys two mornings a week when he clocks in.  He finds me in the security office where the keys to everything are kept and, after exchanging the usual pleasant "good morning" with each other, I toss him the ring of jingly metal so he can rush off to ship and receive things all day long.  He's so good at it, and has such a good attitude about a job that most would consider boring and laborious, that he was named employee of the month for May and a little plaque commemorating that is on display in the lobby.  Employees AND hotel guests can see this plaque because it's posted right beside the main lobby elevator, but I'm fairly certain it's an embarrassment to him.  He's not the type to want to be employee of the month, or enjoy its perks and privileges.. he's too modest.  Knowing this, I couldn't resist a little tease when I saw him in passing last week, so I ordered everyone in the kitchen area to "stand aside, the EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH IS COMING THROUGH!"  He just grinned a little and I THINK he blushed, but it's hard to tell on a Hispanic.

George is really 'Jorge', but he doesn't care for the Spanish version of his name, opting for 'George' instead.  Some Hispanics would say he's dissing his cultural heritage but I think he looks at it as more of an attempt to blend in with everyone.  He's that kind of guy.. he doesn't try to isolate himself, he makes an effort to fit in and be a part of what's going on.  I'd say that he has a real heart and caring for people, but what do I know?  As I said, I don't know him that well at all.

I was on the job yesterday evening when I got the news.. George had been shot to death shortly after leaving work only an hour before.

I was stunned.  We all were.  The kitchen staff was unusually quiet, as were the waiters tending to guests in the hotel restaurant.  The news had spread quickly, and I even found the front desk supervisor making a vain attempt to blink back tears and be cheerful as she checked in a new arrival.  The ladies liked George, not just for his striking appearance, but his manners and respect.  He treated them like ladies.  He treated everyone with respect and dignity.

As I type, "further developments in last night's shooting of a young local man" keep appearing on the news and I turn my attention to it with a heartsick interest.  They say that he had come to the aid of a young woman, possibly his brother's girlfriend, as she was being harassed by another young Hispanic man.  This was at the apartment building where George lived with his family, and it seems the young perpetrator had come there to seek out the girl and make trouble.  A fight ensued, and George whupped the guy's butt, so the guy goes to his car and reappears with a gun, shooting a fleeing George in the back SEVEN TIMES.

What a fucking COWARD.

As of this writing, he's still out there somewhere.  He fled right after emptying the clip into George, and the cops haven't found him yet.  But they will.. it's all over the news today and leads keep developing.

I'll be at the hotel Saturday morning and, at around seven, I'll be issuing the supply room keys to someone else.

It won't be easy


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             Godspeed, George