Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Goodnight Sweetheart

For those of you who follow Literotica, you might know of an author in the m/m category who goes by the name of JadedAndy. His real name was Emery Lynn Thomas Owens, and he was nineteen years old.

He wrote several stories on Lit, but the three biggest ones concerned his real-life boyfriend, Kendal Marcus Owens, and he serialized their love affair in a multi-chapter story that was named after him. He wrote about meeting Kendal in high school in 2007 and how they discovered they loved each other. Both boys grew up in dysfunctional families where they weren't loved or taught to cope with the hard times life threw at them. Only having each other to lean on, they became close, and Emery was shocked at how amazing Kendal was, despite his horrible childhood.

Earlier this year he took the Kendal chapters down and turned them into one long piece with an update entitled A New Chapter. This was followed by Beginning of the End, the account of Kendal's abuse at the hands of his family, and his slide into mental illness, drug use and self-harm. The last part of this tale was named Tonight and Forever, the tragic story of Kendal's suicide in December 2010 and how Emery was coping with the aftermath.

Yesterday afternoon, July 16, 2012, Emery took his own life when he traveled out of state and hung himself in a remote cabin belonging to an uncle. He had been miserable and lonely for quite some time, reliving their life together in Kendal's belongings and the places they frequented, experiencing a lot of guilt over his boyfriend's death and unable to move past it. Emery and Kendal became lovers on the Fourth of July which has always been a very difficult time of year for him since Kendal passed, leaving a lot of painful memories. The boys considered themselves married, and Emery had even taken his last name. But since the tragedy he hadn't been able to shake the depression that dogged him, and time did not heal all wounds, as he complained to me bitterly. They just made Kendal's absence hurt more.

Indirectly, Emery's death is the result of homophobia. Part of the reason Kendal committed suicide was because of his father and brother's view of homosexuality which they used as an excuse to rape and torture him. He was burned with cigarettes and beaten on a daily basis, and no part of his body was spared. At the time of his death at barely nineteen, he was a walking skeleton, the sole breadwinner of the family working two jobs and getting very little sleep. He felt no safety at home and no way to handle the pain. Kendal coped by cutting on himself and abusing alcohol and drugs. The boys had argued over cheating and parted ways when they needed each other the most, and Emery was desperate to get back together with him. But by the time he realized how much abuse Kendal was going through, it was too late.

Kendal had a daughter named Addie who is now five and was living with his foster-father, but he he also left a son, four-year-old Jayden, that Emery was raising on his own. He tried so hard to be a good father to Jay but always felt that he was falling short. He took full responsibility for Kendal's suicide, despite not having all the pieces to the puzzle, so to speak. Since his boyfriend's death, he has been trying to deal with the crushing guilt of being unable to save him, and he didn't even understand how so immensely over his head it would have been to do so. I mean, he was only seventeen when Kendal died, and yet he expected himself to do what the adults in Kendal's life refused to?

Emery couldn't put up with that kind of abuse either and was being beaten and raped by an ex-boyfriend/drug addict living in his mother's house and another former friend. They even put him in a coma at one point, but Emery thought he deserved it because he believed he had abandoned Kendal to the same fate. Although he was finally convinced to move out at the end of June for Jayden's sake in order to stop the abuse, he unfortunately couldn't leave behind the pain. He couldn't stop blaming himself for Kendal's decline and suicide. These two boys needed each other like breathing, and once his lover was dead, Emery didn't have the strength nor the will to go on without him. Over time Kendal turned into an obsession.

I got to know Emery through his stories, and we became good friends. We e-mailed each other and chatted on Facebook. He was so warm and compassionate and had the ability to draw people to him effortlessly without even knowing how special he was. He didn't like talking about himself or his problems; instead, he focused on the people he cared about. He called me Mom because his own was so negligent, cold and unloving, and he was like a son to me. I loved him, but I couldn't talk him out of his depression or lighten his load. I couldn't turn him off the path I knew was waiting for him. He grieved so hard for Kendal, and it was heartbreaking to witness. I am going to miss him very, very much.

Emery, I hope you're free of your pain. I hope you are soaring with Kendal just as you wanted to be. I hope you finally know what it's like to be completely loved. I look forward to seeing you again at some point and would dearly love to be introduced to him. Rest in peace, sweetheart.

21 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear that Emery could not find the will to go on. Perhaps that was impossible for him without Kendal and now they are together. Your words are so heartfelt, and your suffering so clear, I feel helpless. You were there for him, and still are, and I hope you can remember all the good times, all the joy, and heal. Friends like you are hard to find.

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    1. Thank you, Tali. The past couple of days have been very rough, compounded by the fact that nobody seems to know where Emery's son is.

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    2. I may not have been close to Em but I need to know if there's going to be a service and what not. I didn't know who else to get a hold of and I want to do everything I can do to help with anything. I knew things were bad but I didn't know the extent and I feel so awful over it all. I just hope to god Jay is okay. I know it's a risk to put my email on here but I'm desperate. Please contact me at gigta1969@yahoo.com

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  2. I'm so stunned, I don't know what to say. Sending good thoughts to you and the kids.

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  3. oh my god...that is so so sad.
    By any chance was the pic on his bio of himself? Coz if it was, i cant imagine how much he must have been hiding behind his looks.
    RIP emery.

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  4. I am very sorry that you are having to experience this kind of loss, Cliff. I'm sorry that this world is cruel, and people who don't understand love, respect, being a decent person break others in their wake. My heart breaks that someone so beautiful would ever have to know that kind of darkness inside themselves. I hope and pray that Emery found some kind of peace in all of this.

    I wish I never had to read about another suicide, but it seems to be more and more frequent this generation. The hate is so profound in our world right now that they just can't seem to find any kind of light. They are suffocated, smothered, until they just can't take it anymore.

    It took me a long time to understand that and sometimes...I still don't get it.

    I don't know what else to say that isn't going to break me into tears right now, so I'm just sorry to anyone that knew him and I hope to God that baby is alright.

    This just breaks me,
    Night

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  5. Thank you, Night. Emery had someone he trusted with whom he left instructions before he took his life. This included a person he wanted Jay sent to, and his wishes were complied with. Hopefully this man will raise him to be a decent, caring human being. I know Emery loved his son dearly: I've heard voice recordings of them playing together that are so tender it made me cry. It saddens me that this love wasn't enough to bind him here to earth.

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  6. Kendal was an amazing spirit and Emery's writing probably only scratched the surface of that amazingness. You can tell that everything Kendal was made Emery strong. They loved each other so much that it destroyed them. I haven't stopped crying for days. I just can't believe they're gone. I'm sorry for your loss and the loss of his friends. May god be with you all.

    Jessica

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    1. Thank you, Jessica. There are five of us who are feeling the effects of his death very deeply. I think you are completely correct. They relied on each other to keep the world out. When Kendal died, Emery didn't have the strength to go on.

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  7. No words can express how much pain people feel when they lose their loved ones. Especially when it is your support system. When I read the story, Kendal in literotica, I was hoping that it was not true, but it is. I cried for days, knowing that when Emery wrote his story, it was hard for him to relive it while writing their story down. But in a way, it was a way to let people know that Kendal was real and he lived and he had someone who loved him, even after death. I too hope that both of them are soaring in the skies together. Away from the pain that they received while they were here forever. Rest in peace Kendal and Emery.

    Con.

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    1. Thank you, Con. A week later, and it still doesn't seem real in one sense and all too real in another.

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    2. I just hope and pray that Jayden is going to be alright. Growing up without his dad or his mom... it just breaks my heart. I do hope that someone decent is taking care of him and love him even though his dad will not be in his life anymore. I am pretty sure that it is a confusing time for Jayden and I do hope that when he gets older, he is going to be able to understand why his dad committed suicide and not hate his dad for leaving him alone in this world without his parents.

      Con.

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  8. Con,

    Emery left clear instructions on who was to raise Jayden, and as far as we know, his wishes are being followed. No, it isn't the best of situations by a long shot, and that child is going to have some hard questions and nobody to answer them one day. Someone very close to Emery has stated that while he was willing to die for his son, it was a shame he wasn't willing to live for him. I wish he would have chosen to.

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  9. What a heartbreaking story. I'm so sorry. My thoughts are with you and all of those who loved them. -- jvaughn / roughboy18

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  10. My heart breaks a little more every time I hear of gentle loving souls tormented by the very people who should be holding them close and thanking God for their sweet life in this often cold and impersonal world.

    Like love, grief can run sharp and deep...

    My hope for this child is that the people around him, especially his caretaker(s), constantly remind him that his father loved him deeply and unconditionly no matter what other choices he made with his life.

    Life is often about choices. Through some of my life experiences the hardest choices have involved choosing, and facing, life with its consequences. To give up, to face away from life, to die, is easier than to live. To face life daily and live can be the hardest,hardest act a human can choose.

    I feel in my heart that these two souls are together in wonderful place, safe and secure from the hurts of this world. I have no proof or evidence, only faith.

    May God,through St.Philomena, keep and nourish their souls, and watch over and guide their children to light and goodness, amen.

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  11. The mind is its own place, and in it self
    Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.

    -John Milton

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  12. Wow, I just saw your update on your Literotica profile which directed everyone to your blog because of the issues Literotica continues to experience. I write over there (or used to write over there) as LoveBird1929.

    I never read any of JadedAndy's stories and I'm not sure of the reason for that really. I think maybe it was because I used to see some of his comments when the anon detractors would poke their heads out the bush to spread their special brand of hatred. His responses used to be so passionate and so full of emotion and I just knew that the stories he wrote about and the characters he wrote about were things that were close to home to him. Although writing was maybe (hopefully) therapeutic for Emery, I think what kept me away was that I didn't want intrude on those moments of his life, even if he had put them out there for everyone to read. It's strange, I feel regret that I didn't read his stories, but even if I had the chance to now, I still don't know that I would. I guess it's because when I know an event in a story in based even in part on real life experiences it makes me feel that much more, which is fine when everything is hearts and roses, but not so much when the lows come, and they always do, because then I know that whatever it is I'm reading is something that really happened to somebody, somewhere. I don't even know if I'm making any sense here, so I'll stop rambling.

    My heart is broken for what happened to both Emery and Kendal. Would that we could live in a perfect society/world where everyone could be accepted and appreciated and loved for who they are.

    I hope both Emery and Kendal have found peace now and I hope that they rest in happiness for eternity. Together.

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  13. I would like to read Emery's stories but I've only been able to find 'A new chapter'. Is there someone out there who copied the other two and who wants to share them?

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