Man, that is Shakespearian. I read the original story that reported his death, which was then listed as “cause unkown.” This story also reminds me of the story, which I don't remember exactly, of the friend of one of Robert Kennedy's children who had a heroin problem. This friend went “into the hole with him in order to lead him out of it” and ended up dying of an overdoase.

I went to a military high school in New York City. Those who got “second honors” — a B+ average with no grade lower than B — wore a blue braid on their uniform for the next academic quarter. I wore the blue braid about 3 times in 4 years. One of my best friends, Nicholas Fascina, wore the gold braid --A average, no grade lower than A — every quarter for four years. At my school that was a very, very difficult accomplishment. He was from a rough neighborhood with a complicated family background. He was dead of an overdose before the end of summer in the year we graduated. As was another classmate of mine, Tim Moffet, also from a rough neighborhood (in Newark, NJ). Moffet was a lousy student and often in trouble, but he also was a gifted athelete. In fact, in his junior year he was named best quarterback in NYC by both the Times and the Daily News.

As for your daughter's comments: some things are impossible for young people to understand. That's what makes being a parent so scary.