Last night I went to my friends house. We enjoyed taking her roommates cookies, eating sorbet and talking about our latest stories of triumph or woe. Eventually we found ourselves laughing and video clips on Youtube (thanks America's Most Stupidest Model). As we were loading our next video SCREAMS shattered our peaceful evening. This wasn't a single lonely scream. A woman outside was screaming--like in a horror movie. I find a few things interesting about this.
1. Have I become so desensitized that I didn't automatically spring from my comfortable place on the couch to see what was happening?
2. It took both my friend and I about 20 seconds and 4 lung-filled, silence shattering screams before I turned to my friend and said, "Is this normal for your neighborhood?"
a. My question implies that if this is normal this person does not need assistance.
b. But I think my first reaction was that this was a playful scream or something which also doesn't make sense.
c. What is wrong with me?!?!?!
So we go to the window and call out to see if she is OK. The girl is standing on her porch across the street and calls back to us. She explains that there was a man walking toward her with a gun pointed at her. There were people out on their porches finding out what was happening now. The girl had been walking home and just as she turned to her porch she saw the man coming with the gun so she screamed. Bloody loud I might add. She had a brilliant scream!!
This also has me thinking. I'm not a screamer. Granted I've never been in this situation before (or one comparable) but I know I'm not prone to screaming. The man bolted when she started screaming. What would I have done? I have a ridiculously exaggerated startle response. I've been known to automatically punch or react in some way when startled. But again- I'm not violent. I'll punch to prove a point (it's mostly people I know laughing at how easily startled I am) otherwise I just get really quiet and my heart pounds. I'm like DEFENSELESS!!! So I'm thinking about this. If I saw a guy coming toward me with a gun...I've decided by now I'd probably run. We were pretty close to Mass Ave, close to Harvard Square. I could've run up there-better lighting, more cars and people. I guess I'm bothered that I have no clue what I would've done in that moment. Probably run...probably. I wish I was a screamer.
6 comments:
Oh my gosh. What a scary story! Where was this friend's house? -- I think I'll be staying away from there. Yikes.
sorry to say it was in the center of a quiet residential owner-occupied street of cambridge ... can you believe it?
hey linda, could you sing this post to the tune of "wish i was a little bit taller"?
Ahh. This is my house, my neighborhood. I want to go back to Boston where things are safe!
Interesting note. There is a Police Station three blocks from this incident. Humm. He wasnt a very smart one.
i think about that a lot, like what i would do in certain life threatening situations. i am not a screamer either. i probably would have been shot. don't get shot linda!
AHHHHHH! and i thought my neighborhood was creepy!
you should work on your scream. please, for the love.
Seriously, weren't you scared instead of admiring her quality of scream????!
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