You guys,
A man in Georgia was killed during a road rage incident.
He ran the other car off the road and parked his car, then left it running while his 5-year-old son sat in a carseat in the back. He stormed over to confront the other driver.
But he never made it. Three rounds of bullets were fired into his chest. His 5-year-old saw the whole thing.
This is the story my doctor told me right after I told him how much anxiety I was having on the road since the car accident. (Please don’t ask me why he thought this was a good story to tell an anxious driver.) This is the story that was in my head as Sam, George, Layla, and I made the 8-hour drive to New Jersey. And it was the story that was in my head when we stopped at Wawa for a food break.
The four of us walked around my favorite convenience store when a young man approached us. He had shifty eyes and shuffling feet and wanted a fist bump.
I did not want to give him a fist bump, let alone touch him. He then stalked behind us as we moved through the store.
Later, we popped the trunk of our car so George and Layla could sit in the back and eat their cheddar cheese panini and grapes. A persistent bee wouldn’t leave us alone. Sam and I made pathetic attempts to avoid a bee sting. We ducked and moved as quickly as possible but also not too quick so as to piss him off. I’m pretty sure I closed my eyes in hopes that if my eyes were shut, maybe the bee couldn’t see me.
The man approached out of nowhere.
“Can I get a dollar?”
I felt my whole body tense up and tingle. It was a hot 80 degree day in Virginia, but I suddenly felt chills. Fight, flight, or freeze. I froze.
Sam responded immediately.
“No, we don’t have any, sorry.”
The man continued on, then circled back the way he came. My eyes darted between the kids and the man. Sam saw the panic in my eyes.
“It’s okay, babe. I got it. Focus on the kids.”
I thought I might hyperventilate. I could see this moment passing, and then look back and think it was silly to get so worked up. But at this moment, right now, I feared for our lives.
We packed up our cherry cokes and Italian shorti hoagies and got the kids in their car seats.
As we pulled away, Sam gave a big sigh.
“Oh my God I was so scared that bee was going to sting me.”
Sam was worried about a bee. I was worried a man was going to pull out a gun and kill us.
—
Until next week,
Charlie
Yeah you never know what stranger you can trust now a days. I think that you had every right to feel anxious.
When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, experiences like this and ones far worse became all too common. I've seen things I can't unsee. But I do believe peace is available and my hope is that all the tense, worries, and anxiety of these things can be overwhelmed by peace for you Charlie as they have for me.
As parents, we know our children become the inheritors of our worries and wisdom. And I know you are building a powerful legacy for George & Layla. I hope this moment for you all transforms the worry into a wealth of wisdom and that your children would know how much you love them.