Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Gilda · 04-24-2005, 01:59 PM

When I was in college, I decided to go to a midnight movie showing of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was during Winter break, and it was a few days after a cold spell had hit and it was very, very cold and windy. I drove to the city, went to the movie, and proceeded to drive home.

It was a little after 2 am. About 15 miles outside of the city, a hose blew, and I had to pull off the road. I had the choice of sitting in the car, which at least would have kept me out of the wind, and hoping someone would stop and get me, going on foot to find the nearest phone and call for help. I chose the latter. There were houses about every couple hundred yards along the highway, so I figured I would call for help, my dad could come get me in about an hour, and I'd be fine; cold, but fine. I put on my sweatshirt, knit cap, and heavy jacket, the hood pulled tightly around my face, and covered the lower part of my face with a scarf, and proceeded to hoof it back the half mile or so to where the houses started. I walked up to the first house, and rang the doorbell. The door opened a crack, with the chain still on, and I saw a teenage girl, a few years younger than me. I said my car had broken down and asked if I could use their phone. She told me to wait a minute, the door closed, and a couple of minutes later a small man, wearing a robe opened the door. He was standing sideways, one hand back behind his thigh, partly obscuring the gun he was holding there, and asked me what I was doing there at that time of night. I turned and left, not wanting to take any risks. I walked up to the next house up the road, and as I was walking up the driveway, the porchlight came on and a man stepped out onto the porch, this one also displaying a gun.

I decided it would be better to take my chances with the cold and walk back to the 7-11 in the city than take the risk of getting shot; I'd be cold, but nobody would be threatening me with a gun. About three hours later, a highway patrol car passed by and picked me up, and apparently the skin on my face had begun to turn blue, because they insisted on taking me to the emergency room, where it was found that I had a mild case of hypothermia, meaning my body's core temperature had dropped a couple of degrees, but wasn't in any danger. I called home and my dad came to pick me up a couple of hours later.

I wasn't shot at and didn't even have the gun pointed at me, but both men made a point of displaying a gun for my benefit, and I got the point that I wasn't wanted there.

My wife has had guns displayed to her when going on paramedic runs at least a half dozen times. There are certain parts of town where she won't go without a police escort because of this.

04-24-2005, 01:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	When I was in college, I decided to go to a midnight movie showing of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was during Winter break, and it was a few days after a cold spell had hit and it was very, very cold and windy. I drove to the city, went to the movie, and proceeded to drive home. It was a little after 2 am. About 15 miles outside of the city, a hose blew, and I had to pull off the road. I had the choice of sitting in the car, which at least would have kept me out of the wind, and hoping someone would stop and get me, going on foot to find the nearest phone and call for help. I chose the latter. There were houses about every couple hundred yards along the highway, so I figured I would call for help, my dad could come get me in about an hour, and I'd be fine; cold, but fine. I put on my sweatshirt, knit cap, and heavy jacket, the hood pulled tightly around my face, and covered the lower part of my face with a scarf, and proceeded to hoof it back the half mile or so to where the houses started. I walked up to the first house, and rang the doorbell. The door opened a crack, with the chain still on, and I saw a teenage girl, a few years younger than me. I said my car had broken down and asked if I could use their phone. She told me to wait a minute, the door closed, and a couple of minutes later a small man, wearing a robe opened the door. He was standing sideways, one hand back behind his thigh, partly obscuring the gun he was holding there, and asked me what I was doing there at that time of night. I turned and left, not wanting to take any risks. I walked up to the next house up the road, and as I was walking up the driveway, the porchlight came on and a man stepped out onto the porch, this one also displaying a gun. I decided it would be better to take my chances with the cold and walk back to the 7-11 in the city than take the risk of getting shot; I'd be cold, but nobody would be threatening me with a gun. About three hours later, a highway patrol car passed by and picked me up, and apparently the skin on my face had begun to turn blue, because they insisted on taking me to the emergency room, where it was found that I had a mild case of hypothermia, meaning my body's core temperature had dropped a couple of degrees, but wasn't in any danger. I called home and my dad came to pick me up a couple of hours later. I wasn't shot at and didn't even have the gun pointed at me, but both men made a point of displaying a gun for my benefit, and I got the point that I wasn't wanted there. My wife has had guns displayed to her when going on paramedic runs at least a half dozen times. There are certain parts of town where she won't go without a police escort because of this.