Saving Myself

The Mugging:

(This is not a part of the story. Just voicing my thoughts from tonight.)

It was a normal night.

Other than the fact that my brother was coming down with the flu.

My mom went to the store around the corner to get him medicine.

When she got back my dad was going to take me to Walmart.

I needed some things for a school trip I was going on the next day.

Wondering, where is she?

She never is gone this long for a couple of things.

My dad got a phone call and he sounded shocked, confused, kind of irritated.

He ran around his room grabbing things he needed and went running out the door.

He looked at me and said something that I would have never thought of in a million years,

"Your Momma was mugged." He ran out the door and I sat shocked but then got up to walk outside.

He was already gone before I could ask what he was talking about.

I sat back down in the living room my eyes visible making sure that my brother was visible.

Before long the house phone rang.

I waited for the caller ID to show the number and saw my dad's mobile number.

I answered with the usual "Hey... Hi."

He told me to wait for my mawmaw or pawpaw to come down the driveway to my house and lock the door when one of them got here.

I was scared. I looked in the shoe cabinet for my airsoft gun.

It was never loaded and didn't have bullets but I couldn't find it.

It must've been in the building.

I grabbed the first thing I saw that could inflict damage, a small hammer.

It wasn't much but I was somewhat prepared for if the guy came to our house.

He got her license which had our address. I didn't know that at the time but I was doing what I thought would protect me and my two siblings.

I had a nightmare like this before where a guy broke into our house at night and had a gun. I had called out for my dad to protect me but no matter how loud I yelled he never came to the kitchen. Every time I had that dream I always ended up dead. The outcome was inevitable.

I let my pawpaw in and locked the door then the phone rang again.

This time it was my aunt.

She asked if us kids were home alone and the like.

Eventually, my mom and dad came home,

Sharing the details of what happened.

It all seemed surreal.

I had been to that store millions of times

And I usually go with my mom when she goes.

I couldn't have stopped the mugging but it bothered me that he could have been armed.

I was reminded that my aunt was held at gunpoint and a sweet lady I had known from elementary was held with a knife to her throat one night while they were working.

It brought me back down to earth.

That store has never been "safe" yet I was so familiar with the place that it felt safe.

I stocked my brother's room with his golf clubs and a PVC pipe that was at the door.

Just in case.

I grabbed two clubs for my sister and I's room.

I grabbed my scissors, two heavy army flashlights, bug zapper, the hammer, and my pocket knife.

I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

I wasn't going to let my nightmare become real.

Not this time.

Not ever.