December 12, 2017:
The first person I knew who died was a boy in high school who shot himself.
He was in conflict with highly authoritarian parents who showed no interest in his identity. His father was an active duty admiral in charge of an entire theater of operations. He was largely absent and when he wasn't he expected military grade obedience. His mother was self-absorbed and narrow, something like Vivian Pickles in Harold and Maude. Apt analogy as his suicide was prompted by his mother arranging dates for him he emphatically did not want. In protest he put a .32 slug through the roof of his mouth.
His parents never speak of him. The admiral's online bio lists his other children, but not this one. It's as if his failure with this child is a stain on his resumé. Or as if a child's failure to obey results inevitably in cancellation.