Afternoon Sky

This is what I see when I gaze out of the kitchen window at work. The Slade, a condo on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach, FL. Built within the last several years, with spectacular views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Palm Beach to the East. So what, you ask? Why devote an entry to this? Count upward to the 11th floor. A guy named Sonny Peixoto leapt to his death from there in May of 2007. This building. Right next door to where I work.

I knew of this sordid tale from the local paper and from a detailed, grisly account in Laurence Leamer's Madness Under the Royal Palms. I shook my head and lamented another terrible tale. It stayed with me. Leamer's book really paints a vivid picture of a con-man who buffaloed high society and paid with his life and soul. But one day recently I was speaking with some co-workers in the kitchen/breakroom. They spoke of the time another co-worker had left for the day and saw a crowd under the palms next door. All gathered around a corpse. Sonny's. When I made the connection, I was chilled. This tragic event, so close to my everyday world. Some unexplainable contamination.

Oh, West Palm Beach is a crime-laden city, make no mistake. I've had patients survive gunshot wounds through the skull while working in local spots, places I've patronized for years. I've walked and driven through locations where cars had been riddled with hailstorms of bullets, muggings had occured, Lord knows what else. Always discomforting. But something about Sonny's story is even more disturbing. I guess it's mainly about him: a fringe dwelling poseur who snaked his way into parties and lied as naturally as he breathed. A dishonest fool, yes, but I feel badly for him. What went wrong is his short timeline? What led him to drop through the afternoon sky right next to where I work?

I stare out that window daily, often just to drink in the lovely view of the water and sky. It's a nice break for my hectic schedule. The Slade also reveals a pool area to the West, a spot some of my co-workers like to stare upon for "bird watching." Since I've learned about what happened next door, that view can never merely be for pleasure any more. Sonny, you sad, pathetic guy. You left deception and murder in your wake. May the Lord have had mercy upon you...