what a day...part two.

okay, so the lock down conversation has just ended...my friends and i are on our way to my house when friend one screams (i'm paraphrasing, because i can't remember every word,) "there's a man on the ground, i think he's been shot, there's blood everywhere!" so i tell friend two to turn around and go back, i NEED to know what is going on!

we turn around, and see the man begin to run and then fall to the ground, and then we see an old man on the phone, looking worried. as we pull up behind him, he gets in his car and begins to take off. the three of us are in a state of chaos, trying to call 911 and snap pictures of this guy's license plate (just in case.) in all the madness, i hear friend one telling the 911 operator that a man has been shot, our location, that a man has been shot, there's blood all over him, he's been shot, our location, he's been shot, no...i didn't see him get shot...i just know, there's blood all over the place.

at this point, we realize the old man is not driving away, he is just moving his car, which is good, because we couldn't get any pictures. we now see that he has a big dent in the front...i begin to laugh uncontrollably, 'cause that's how i cope in times of crisis, i laugh! friend one is killing me with her call to 911, friend two is yelling at me to stop laughing, "that's someone's life!" she yells at me. i try to hold it in and just can't. she finally pulls over and parks in the parking lot next to the injured/dead man. we see the old man get out of his car, two ladies (workers) from the neighboring nursing home come out, and lots of little old people are wheeling themselves to and fro to get in on the action. friend two jumps out of the car, i stay inside with friend one, still laughing like a fool. i'm not getting out, what if the shooter is still nearby, no thanks!

i see friend two kneel down and start talking to the wounded, the other two ladies are just standing there staring at him. a couple of seconds later we hear sirens, two sets of cops show up, the ambulance arrives, a firetruck arrives, and friend two steps back. i hear the cops ask for witnesses and the old man steps forward. another car rolls up, full of antennas and a man with a LARGE camera jumps out. i hear the ambulance guy say, "no gsw" (gunshot wound,) and no joke, the man with the camera jumps right back in his car and takes off. he must've been lookin' for some real action. the cops become very relaxed, and then i see this little weird guy from the church down the street walk up, mumble something and walk away.

by this time, friend one has gotten out of the car to join friend two. the cop is still questioning the witness, when out of nowhere, the little weird guy is back telling the interview cop that he should stop by on sunday, they're going to have fireworks, a cookout, and some music. the cop tells him he is interrupting and shoos him away, the man lets out a big grumble and walks back to his church. things are really out of hand here.

i look back to the throng of people surrounding me, and i see friend two talking to the cops, who then laugh at her. side note, we're all wearing our school t-shirts, so everyone knows we work at a nearby school. i can just picture them sharing this with all of the local cops, "these stupid teachers...." eventually the emergency team loads the guy up and takes him away, as all the little old people in their wheelchairs or walkers look devastated and wave to him.

my friends are still out there. i'm not sure what they are doing, but i honestly think they were the last two out there. at this point i am just confused and ready to leave.

okay, so they finally come back...someone told them that he is a resident at the nursing home, he has the ability to check himself in and out, but has seizures and is a "runner" upon exiting the home, it is a common activity for him to dart out into traffic. not really sure why they let him sign out, but, i guess it's none of my business.

anyhow, friend two is livid when she gets back in the car...she can't believe that no one out there had tried to comfort the man, when she had gotten out of the car, she went over and told him, "sir, you are going to be fine, 911 has been called, help is on the way, i can hear the sirens now." just like she had learned at her CPR class. he did not respond, so she repeated those words in spanish, to which he opened his eyes and replied, "gracias, senora." she was angered beyond belief that ten cops were standing around and when they found out he was not a gunshot victim, they started to discuss plans for dinner. that's why she had been yelling at the cops, telling them that he was not a dead dog, and why we (they) then had to go over to the nursing home and report the incident to the owner.

while in the nursing home, all the little old people had wheeled themselves back in and had congregated around my two friends, i have decided to stay in the car, since i'm not really sure what is going on. anyhow, while friend two is complaining, all of the little old people have rallied behind her and are ratting out the employees that stood there and did nothing.

meanwhile, back in the car, i am beginning to hyperventilate...friend two had locked me in the car from the outside with the windows up. all kinds of crazy thoughts are running through my head, "i wonder how many breaths i have left in here? babies have died in less heat, how long are they gonna be in there? can i open the door without the alarm going off? what if someone kidnaps me, this is a rough neighborhood. am i getting lightheaded..." and then i hear the beep. they're back. we replay the whole incident. what an adventure.

still not sure what exactly happened to the man, i'm assuming he got hit by the old man in the car, the nursing home owner told my friends what they wanted to hear, not sure if it will make an impact, but they feel good about letting him know that he has crappy employees, and i'm sure all of the residents were glad to have someone standing up for them.

what a crazy day. a lock down and then this...good ol' san bern-a-ghetto.