Dear Reader,
Growing up outside of Austin had a few benefits, a good one was having downtown Austin only 25 minutes away. I was able to experience the downtown night life scene, I even had someone’s ID that allowed me to buy liquor and get into clubs but that is another story for another day.
From ROT rallies at fifteen to ridiculously expensive lofts I had no business in right off Guadalupe Street at seventeen. I truly did my share of living a fast life, too fast at times and as I get older it becomes harder to remember it all, except for the times I was in actual danger.
Having
a close call can really burn a situation into a memory, a memory that often
turns into a nightmare waking me up only to stare towards the ceiling with relief
of it being over because if this situation went any different, I might not be
here to tell it today.
The high school I transferred to was
built in 1998. When I got there in 2001 it was in great shape, especially
compared to the 30-year-old high school I transferred from in my hometown. So,
my school was built because of the rapid expansion in the region and it hasn't stopped growing. In 2000 the population was 26,049 and today it has grown to 80,844.
The
halls of my school reflected the cultural diversity of the growing city that surrounded
it. Everything was new, bright, and interesting. My first day was on a Monday,
made friends and was out on the town by Friday night. By the time I knew it 4
years had passed, it was the weekend, and it was time to get out and have some
fun with friends back in their hometown of San Antonio.
A
group of us would get together and head to San Antonio to meet up with friends
of friends and their friends of friends. It had become routine, but I could not
tell you how to get there to save my life because I never drove.
A
quick road trip consisted of catching up and having a great time. We ended up
at an apartment complex and everyone was on their patios doing the same thing
we had planned. Partying.
The
environment was absolutely on point, it felt like a movie and we could no
longer stay inside. The get-togethers could be heard all around the complex, calling
our names. It was about an hour spent walking around enjoying the various
activities that the individual gatherings had to offer until a friend needed a
few things and decided she wanted to go back and get them, so a small group of
us chose to go with her.
Four
of us set off back to the apartment, enjoying each other’s company and completely
unaware someone was watching us. As we turn a corner towards the apartment, an older
man from a parked beat-up work van calls out to a friend who was just catching
up. My friend stops and turns towards this stranger and pauses. The stranger asks
calmly “do you know where marks party is at?” the stranger looks over at us and
smiles. “No, I don’t.” he replies. The stranger, still looking at us replies
with a hushed “well, why don’t we go find it together?”
My
nightmare always starts where the encounter starts. It all happened so fast; I
often find myself trying to slow it down so I can view it in more detail. The
stranger snaps his gaze back to my friend, slams his fist on the side of the vehicle
and screams, “GET IN THE FUCKING VAN!” I have never moved so fast in my life; I
could have run on water. The vehicle starts up, reverses, and peels out towards
the exit of the complex. It becomes a blur, but we all make it to the apartment
together and safe.
The situation was surreal and as we discussed what had happened, at the time we did not fully understand the severity of it all. I usually always try to wake myself up before the nightmare can begin but last night I could not. I turned the corner just in time to see the stranger in a panic, wide eyed and sweating, slamming shut the sliding side door of his beat-up van. He turns towards me, smiles and waves.
Sincerely Yours,
Timothy
