The Oh, The year was 1997. I had just been hired at a new startup company in the telecommunications

sector. It was an exciting time. The company was filled with young enthusiastic employees and it seemed for a number of years that our lives completely revolved around our jobs.

We worked together, party together, and even vacation together.

The Internet bubble was ballooning and we were living life to its fullest.

It was a very close-knit environment and even now almost 20 years later I still consider my former

coworkers to be some of the closest friends I've ever made in my entire life.

After a few years in the tech support department, I applied for a role in the network operation center.

It was a dark glass-walled room, lined with desks, multiple monitors, and luxurious office chairs.

The front wall was filled with giant screens projecting images of our network, and this room was always the focal point for tours of the company.

We called it the Fish Bowl.

Working in that room was something I always wanted to do since the first day I started and after a few years of being with the company

I'd finally been granted a promotion and was now among the ranks of the network team.

We worked late nights and would always try to end the day at whatever bar was within

walking distance. We grew very close to one another and the crazy stories are still

entertaining to reminisce about.

You might be surprised when I tell you this isn't a story about me.

I'm only setting the stage to tell you a story about a coworker who sat in the desk behind me at the time.

It's a tragic tale that involves one man's life spiraling, out of control, leading to another man's death.

Please join me as we fall deeper into this rabbit hole exploring the

underworld of street drugs and examining the unfortunate chain of events in the life of

Chester Abbotsbury and I served five and three quarter years out of

12 for a man-swater conviction. I reached out to Chester a couple of months ago,

...