Tonight Was Different

I blog simply because today there was a story.

Lately I have been pretty lazy. I'm under two weeks until we leave so I've tidied up my activities...perhaps a bit prematurely. I have some freetime...that's what I'm trying to say.

Today was very lazy. All I had planned was a massage at 4pm. A few things happened that were all lazy in nature. Around 7:00pm Deanna texted me and asked if I wanted to go see some friends who had moved to New York, but were in town. I was nearly asleep and listening to David Cross. I was tired/relaxed, but thought I should get out of the house.

As Deanna and I were walking to the get together we came to an intersection. Diagonally across the intersection was a white guy who started beating up a black guy...well, he looked like a 13-year old from our vantage point. People around him were doing nothing. The white guy's girlfriend was screaming "MIKE! MIKE, STOP!"

I did what I could from the opposite corner and yelled "HEY!" in a loud boom. Mike takes off running after throwing the guy to the ground. A guy in an SUV whips his car around to help not-Mike, all while Deanna is yelling stuff like "oh! Now you're just going to run away?!"

This is when I leave Deanna's side and run after them. I figure I can at least catch up to his girlfriend to get information on Mike if necessary. As I'm running there is a big crowd in front of this club/restaurant called The Spot. They're kind of blocking the way and kind of wondering what is happening. I see the girlfriend way on the other side of the mob still running and yelling "Mike!" I say to the people "That guy just beat someone up!" as I start to weave through them. The bouncer tells me the guy who got beat up had started it all the way back by them. I stop running. "He did?" "Yeah, he was provoking him."

This is when I just walk back to meet Deanna and see if this guy (we'll call him "Idiot"...you'll see)is ok. Idiot is talking to the SUV driver, but kind of getting in the driver's face a little. Saying stuff like he's from the south side and he doesn't back down from anything. Being smart, the SUV guy gets in his car and as he does, Idiot slams the door shut for him. Deanna and I cross the street. Idiot crosses the street.

It is clear that Idiot is under a mix of alcohol and adrenaline. He is looking right at me, with a few cuts on his head and blood coming out of his mouth...but he is looking at me with a fight or flight look in his eyes. More on the side of fight. Deanna says to me "the police are right there", just across the intersection.

I ask Idiot, "are you okay?" To which he responds with "are YOU ok?!" and more of his "I don't back down" talk. Then, he shoves me. Not hard, but enough for me to be through with it. "Police!" I bellow and across they come. As they're pulling up I manage to tell him that the SUV driver and I were just trying to help. Give my side of the story, and carry on.

I'm glad I didn't have to fight him. I wasn't worried about fighting him...probably a little easier to take on a guy a foot shorter than me who is drunk and has already been beat up.

Luckily I've had years of training via walking down Clark street during baseball season.