16

Hunnicutt Home, Mill Valley, California
April 30, 1970

"Peg, get her on the phone now!"

"B.J. I'm trying it just keeps ringing."

"Well, why isn't she picking up?"

"How do I know?"

"Leave the line open, hang up the phone."

"Why?"

"In case she calls."

The Hunnicutt home was filled with tension as before their eyes the news unfolded on T.V. that there was a shooting at Kent State University, there were four confirmed dead and many wounded. The news reporter said that students became restless as a result of President Nixon's ordering of American forces to clean out enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia, a neutral country in the South Pacific. The reporter also stated that the National Guard fired in to the crowd to prevent further chaos. As Peg Hunnicutt sat on the edge of the sofa crying her eyes out, praying Erin wasn't one of the four dead and many wounded, B.J. sat bye the phone. The sudden ringing of the phone startled the Hunnicutt's.

"Erin?"

"Daddy, its horrible."

"Are you alright, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, luckily I wasn't hurt too badly."

"What do you mean too badly?"

"What does she mean B.J.?"

"I was on my was back to my dorm after my research statistics class when the riots began. I wanted to see what was going on, so I walked into the crowd and then all I could see was smoke and hear a lot of loud pops and that's when it hit me."

"What?"

"This girl, she was all bloody Dad, and when she fell on the ground she hit me, and pulled me with her. I scrapped my knee and bruised the side of my face, and I tried to help her, I wanted to see if she was breathing and she wasn't, so I tried to help her, but there was nothing I could do."

"I'm so sorry Erin."

"Daddy I'm coming home."

"Do whatever you need to do."

"I love you Daddy."

"I love you too Erin, I'll see you soon."

"Bye Daddy, tell Mom I'm alright and I love her."

"Will do, see you soon, bye sweetie."

That night Erin Hunnicutt packed her bags and left Kent State. She boarded the next flight to Mill Valley and went home to forget the carnage that she witnessed on what started as a beautiful April day.