We have these friends from down under

Here's why are they aren't staying long

Barbara and I met this charming family from Australia four years ago at their housewarming here in rural Virginia. They will go unnamed since they are a high profile couple back home. He is a very successful real estate maven and she works in the diplomatic corps.

They bought sight unseen a historic estate in our community and would spend the Australian winter here then return home—typically four or five months. In the fall of 2019 they headed back down under, expecting to be with us again the following May.

However, COVID put the kibosh on that plan. They finally made it back to southern Virginia a few weeks ago. When the couple left their children were toddlers. Now they are school age. And that’s the reason our friends will only be in their mansion for one month instead of five.

It’s not that they’re worried about their kid’s educations. They could hire tutors, but don’t want to go that route. What they worry about is the rampant, random gun violence that has pervaded this country. They tell us, as many other foreigners feel, that as wonderful and exciting the US is, there is always that threat of gun violence lurking that citizens of every other civilized country in the world never feel.

Our friends are some of the most adventurous folks we’ve known, and perhaps that’s why we struck up the relationship. Barbara and I are kindred spirits. Aside from the usual sightseeing things, they’ve attended services at a black church and then another time at a biker church. Now, that’s taking in all the local flavor.

But they are not willing to put themselves or their children at risk for gun violence just by spending extra time in the states. I hate to see our friends leave, but I don’t blame them.