Whether To... Or Not...

I made an uncomfortable choice yesterday, which I completely regret.  Watching my morning news program, I heard a very loud "boom" that rattled my front door.  Making my front door, or even my house rattle, is a thing even a loud car stereo can do.  I assumed it was kids hitting the front of my house with something.  That is an occasional occurrence, since the bus stop is on our corner.  I'd forgotten it was spring break.

I went to the front door, opened it, and looked out.  Nothing.  Oh well.  I walked into the front room and began opening my curtains, that's when I saw them.  I could see two Police vehicles blocking my street and two further north.  Then I realized all the activity was just south of my home, across the street.  I could see at least three more cars, and men in Police vests on a neighbors front porch.  I phoned a neighbor directly across the street from me and asked if she knew what had happened, and if she'd heard the "boom".  She had.  She thought it had been a sonic boom until she spotted the police.  She had trouble getting her little dog calmed down, so we could talk.

Some time passed, the mail came and they were still out there.  The street was no longer blocked and it didn't look threatening, so I went out to get my mail.  My neighbor came out and chatted a minute.  Worry and curiosity were probably the main things we were feeling.  Not knowing if someone was hurt inside or what the noise had been.   About that time, I decided to contact a family member, who works for a local news station, to see if he had heard anything.  He hadn't.  Before long, I was asked if I would send a photo.  I waited a bit, then reluctantly walked out and snapped two photos.  I can tell you I felt like some kind of snoop, a Mrs. Kravitz.  I never did send the photos.

As I walked back up my drive, the news van pulled around the corner and waved me down.  They wanted an interview and I declined.  I used conflict of interest... family member employed with you... they jokingly offered to fire him and laughed.  They asked again, and I reluctantly agreed.  When asked what my worst concern about this event was, I stated "That one of my neighbors is hurt or worse."  That didn't make it on air, just a brief statement about the noise, which was fine except for this terrible feeling I can't shake.  My neighbors were having, perhaps, one of their worst days.  I was chatting to a news anchor about it.  It just felt wrong.

I believe in the value of news coverage, but I'm thinking if I had to do it again, I would probably just close the curtains and check with my neighbors after the fact.  I am definitely not cut out for a job in news or as any kind of detective, no matter how much I enjoy a good mystery novel.  The reality is, no matter what was happening, it was happening to people, to my neighbors.  Neighbors I don't know well, but who I care about because they are part of my little community, my world. 


© 30MAR2012 aj

#312 Sunday Scribblings - The Rest of the Story

I've been doing a challenge called Sunday Scribblings for a while.  If you click on the name, it will take you to the prompt list.  You can also read what other writer's have done.

This week's prompt, The Rest of the Story, inspired me to go back to a story from an earlier challenge.  That prompt was When Pigs Fly.  I'd often wanted to revisit Cassie and Joe, so this is the rest of their story.  If you want to read the beginning, go HERE.

The Rest of Their Story

Sitting on the porch, sun setting in the distance, Cassie thought back to a long ago, starry night. She had been so young when Joe had proposed to her. She could never have imagined the road that night would take her on.

Daddy had agreed to the marriage, so at 17 and 21, Cassie and Joe had started their lives together. There had been obstacles along the way. Finances were never good. Joe's job at the Quicky Lube never paid enough. He worked long hours, and the bills just kept coming. Cassie worked, cleaning houses for other people, while her babies were with their Gram and Grandad. Her dreams of going to back school had been set aside with the arrival of the first baby. Three more followed in quick succession. Her days were spent scrubbing, polishing, sweeping, her nights spent cooking, cleaning, washing. There was little time for just sitting and holding the babies, even less for fun or romance.

Joe became more and more distant as the bills piled up. Cassie loved him with a depth she couldn't put into words. She'd wanted to take away some of the pressure, the frustrations, but she had felt so helpless. All she could do was keep working hard, and raise their little ones.

The years kept moving on. So many changes had come into their lives. Joe had finally managed to open his own body shop, with an inheritance from his parents, and it was a success. He had a way with people, and they appreciated his honesty and work ethic. Once the children were in school, Cassie had been able to take some classes at the community college. She learned the accounting end of the business and kept the office running efficiently. She had also started doing some photography for fun and found she had an eye for it, so she sold art prints and did some private sittings on the side.

As she sat reminiscing about their lives, she had to laugh at the youthful hopes, the optimism. That was the beginning of a long journey. Of life. If she and Joe had known about all the hard work it would take to keep a marriage together, to make a life, would they have jumped in? Definitely. Dreams are started with youthful wishes, but they are built on hard work, perseverance, and love.

The screen door opened. Joe walked out, handed her a cup of coffee, and bent down for a quick, sweet kiss. They sat side by side, in the rockers that had belonged to Joe's parents, looking out into the darkness. It was another beautiful starry night, and this was their dream, their pie in the sky.

  © 25MAR2012 aj

Happy Birthday Mom...

Dad & Mom. A bit worn, but a favorite of hers.

Another "whether" or not decision (see the NaBloPoMo link on my sidebar).  Today is my mom's birthday.  She would have been 74 this year, but passed away at 65.  In June, she will have been gone 9 years.  That's so hard to believe.  It took a long time for me to come to terms with her loss.  Longer than some thought was healthy, but my processing of change tends to be slow.  I've talked a lot about how her life and her loss impacted me, so the decision was whether to talk about it again.

Obviously, I decided to do it.  Those of you who have lost a parent will understand.  They remain imprinted into our psyche, whether they are present in this life or have moved on into the next.  Lessons learned, laughter shared, a look, a touch, just their "being" is missed.  It doesn't mean I don't have faith in where she is at.  My beliefs tell me she is in heaven, with those who traveled there before she arrived and since, but my heart wishes I could call her on the phone for a chat, or go to a yard sale with her.  Here's an earlier post I wanted to share with you today.  In it, I explain why I began writing my blog.

 Two Years Of Blogging

I wrote it on my two-year anniversary of blogging.  Tomorrow I will celebrate four years!  Blogging has been a wonderful experience for me.  A place to share my laughter and my tears.  A community of like-minded folks, as well as some who are so very different from me, and I've loved it all.  I look forward to continuing this interesting journey with each of you.

 © 22MAR2012 aj