Sunday rappin….
On Sunday, we had a large group of people here at my home to lunch. About six of them hung around until about 7:30 PM. Naturally, the liquor was flowing and the more that flowed, the ‘lighter’ and more ‘free spirited’ shall we say, the topics being discussed became. (One of my greatest pastimes is to listen to older folks chat shit when they are ‘unda two juice’ (drinking), especially about the ‘good old days’. It can be great fun.
Now the topic went from all sorts of stuff……swinging with women in younger days, the fact that some now need Viagra to perform like they did when they were in their twenties and thirties, and eventually, the topic went to firearms.
Now Daddy has been an avid fan of birdshooting since I was a child. It is not something that really gets me excited, but, he likes it and so do many of his friends. He started to relate the story about the day that he was held up many years ago. I remember it quite well.
He was at a friend’s house in Stony Hill one Saturday afternoon. They had just returned from a birshooting trip in the country (rural areas). Now, the shoot was poor as the birds were not flying, so they came back early.
Daddy and his friend were sitting on the back porch of the house, shooting the breeze and having a drink, when suddenly, three men appeared out of nowhere, two were weilding guns, and the third had a machete that Daddy claimed was ’sharp nuh rass!” They ordered them to lay down flat on the ground on their bellies. This they did. Daddy said he was scared, but tried to remain calm. His friend was not quite as composed.
Eventually they started to search them. Daddy said they took his wallet and emptied it. He told them they could take the money, but leave the cards and licences etc. You see, Daddy said he was trying to ‘level’ with them as he really did not want to get killed. He said that instantly, he saw his life and the faces of all his family come before him, it was indeed very frightening to be confronted with the possibility that your life may suddenly be taken away from you prematurely. They continued to search, eventually stumbling on the .38 that Daddy had in an ankle holster, but, because of the circumstances, he was unable to reach for it and use it in an attempt to defend himself and his friend.
They took Daddy’s gun. Again, Daddy tried to bargain with them, telling them that the gun was over thirty years old and really not very useful. The man who was now holding the end of the gun right at Daddy’s temple then replied, “Oh. Ah so. You waan me test out it blood claat??”
Actually, in retrospect, when we heard that we all started to laugh, though the situation was by no means funny. Anyway, eventually, they left and neither my Father or his friend were harmed. The Police recovered my Father’s gun about six months later. Because of a lot of red tape though, it took years for Daddy to get his firearm licence back. I remember the evening when he came home, it was one of the few times in my life that I can recollect my Father looking scared and relieved at the same time. He was very happy that his life was spared and so were we.
In retrospect, he looks back at that event and chuckles when he told the guy that the gun was a piece o shit, and at the guy’s response of him possibly testing it out.
Have any of you ever experienced adverse circumstances and been forced to say things that may help to get you out of the situation, however, looking back at it, though the scenario at the time was serious, you can get a laugh out of it now? (Rather long question eh?) If so, we will be happy to hear it, so go ahead and share. Or just share the situation, even if it is not funny. Comments are welcome as usual. Have a good day.
June 24th, 2003 at 4:58 pm I used to manage a halfway house for parolees with substance abuse problems. I was attacked by a twice-convicted murderer once who had a pick ax. I also was threatened by a thief with a kitchen knife. In each case, I talked my way out of it by being calm and convincing them that I wasn’t their enemy. I don’t remember what I said either time, but I guess I was pretty good at talking, because I wasn’t hurt. Just scared. I couldn’t take that line of work, after a while.
June 24th, 2003 at 9:07 pm wKen, that sort of work does take a lot out of the staff of such units. But, you have my respect for having done it for a while. Right now, on my unit at the hospital, we have a young male alcohol abuser who developed a bad cutaneous reaction to a drug. Trust me, he is difficult to deal with, and his family is no better either. We have come to realize that they are just as dysfunctional as he is and perhaps they have contributed to his substance abuse in the first place. Anyway, it can be difficult at times, but somebody has to do it, right?
June 25th, 2003 at 4:21 am Hi. Have a great day! Hugs, Annie xxx
June 25th, 2003 at 3:26 pm My youngest sis, the ex Navy officer, works with kids “at risk.” She teaches English in a school where kids are getting their last chance at education before they are booted out of the system. This all makes me think I ought to ask her if she is threatened, and if she is safe. The kids are there because of drugs, alcohol, family problems, difficulty with social interaction and more. It’s not a life I could manage, but she does very well. I’m so glad to know that your Dad made it through his experience unscathed, so he could laugh about it later!
June 25th, 2003 at 10:19 pm You know, when I first read this entry, I thought - hmm, lively story. And when I got to the bottom part with the question “Have any of you ever …. though the scenario at the time was serious, you can get a laugh out of it now?” And I thought - hmmm, not really. ANd then tonight I was reminded of a VERY appropriate story when a friend and I were laughing about something that happened a couple of months ago. The short of it is that I was terribly terribly sick and having NASTY NASTY pain. And the family doctor I had just wasn’t “getting it”. She thought I had the flu, and she was sticking to that diagnosis, even though I kept getting worse. And unfortunately, due to my insurance, I had to rely on her to give me a referral to a specialist, and she would NOT help me get a fast appointment - when really, I mean, I was on the verge of going to the ER about 3 or 4 times already with the pain. But she just would not listen to me. Well, so I wound up doing the unthinkable, and going to a specialist I know socially. Well, he agreed to see me very quickly. But then after getting info from that crappy family doctor, suddenly he was saying I just had the flu too! I was so mad that I went to his office, went into the exam room, shut the door, sat down, leaned forward, got right in his face and said, “You know what I’d like to do to you? I’d like to put a vice grip around your torso, tighten it up real tight, then stab you in the gut just so you can understand what the F**K I’ve been going through!” At the time I was horribly desperate for help, scared out of my wits about being so sick & having such horrible pains, and mad as hell that I wasn’t getting help from people who are supposed to help… that I just lost it. But now that I talk about it - it sounds so outrageous… it’s just funny. Especially the part where he said, quite calmly “You know, you’re very belligerant.” And I said “You try being in this pain day after day…” And I think I said something about my pain being the kind that would make St. Francis of Asissi kick babies. haha. (I stole that from Douglas Adams.) Well, he ordered the right test right then and there… so I certainly succeeded in getting his attention. haha. So I don’t really regret it. You do what you have to do. But I do feel a bit awkward about what that pain & the situation I was in did to me, as a person. When you’re in fear for your life… you act on instinct, not rational thought… and the things people say often are quite lively.
June 25th, 2003 at 10:44 pm Interesting story Chloe. Sounds to me like you need to get a more caring GP. At the end of all that, was the diagnosis still flu???