How NOT To End A Date...

“Get back in your car!”

“What?”

“Get back in your car! There is a man with a shotgun! I am on the phone with the police!”

These are the words being yelled at Collin and I by our neighbor as we were walking across the dark parking lot at 11:00om to our apartment from a great night out. Panic set in as we rushed back to the car and Collin fumbled for the keys. He was also trying to call Laura Beth (LBJ), our friend who was watching the boys, to let her know what was going on. The guy was walking down our walkway towards our apartment. No answer. He tried again. No answer again. He tried again. She finally answered and he told her to lock the doors. He stayed on the phone with her as we headed out of the complex. The first Sheriff pulled in with his flashlight and shotgun loaded. We pointed to the direction of our building and told him he was down there. Collin, still on the phone to LBJ got out of the car. He didn’t want to leave the boys and Laura Beth “in the dark”. He wanted to be able to let her know exactly what was going on as it was happening. Six other cop cars showed up and again, I pointed them towards our building, with our kids and our dear friend. Within 5 minutes, Collin was able to make it into our apartment and I was told to go wait across the street at Rite Aid, with our neighbors, until all was clear. After about 20 minutes, a sheriff pulled into the parking lot. They had the man in custody.

Apparently it was not a shotgun or even a sniper rifle as had been suspected. This bozo decided he was going to take care of the skunk population with his pellet gun and scope. Are you kidding me? Walking around, in the dark, at 11 o’clock at night with a gun? What the (insert profanity here)! I want to knock that guy up side the head!

So now, I have to try to go to sleep with adrenalin pumping through my veins and a knot in my stomach that is trying like crazy to come up. Looks like I am in for a long night.

And I just want to add that this description falls completely short of the experience itself and the raw emotion we felt. It was scary. I hope to never have to go through something like that again.