A few months ago, we were sitting in the living room chatting with a visitor when she said "Why is there an ambulance outside?" We all went to the window to look, and Erik said it was the second one in something like three days, and they were probably here for the neighbor's daughter.
Seems a couple of days before that, he'd come home from taking the girls to school one morning and she'd asked him if he had any pain pills.
So tonight we're lying here in bed on our computers, mocking shoulder things that go up and speculating about what Taylor Swift songs Pat Green is likely to record, when I hear a siren. Now, we live in da hood, so sirens aren't unusual. My first thought, in fact, was "The east side is burning again!"**
And so I looked out the bedroom window. And saw the fire truck slowing almost to a stop in front of the house next door. And then pulling up and stopping in front of our house. I told Erik "There's a fire truck in front of our house" and went into the living room to look.
I heard a door in the truck close and next heard "Ma'am, what are you doing out here?" Looked out the window and saw a female fire fighter pulling on gloves as she walked toward the house. Hmm. No one was at all agitated. Went to get some tea and Erik stuck his head into the kitchen to tell me there was now an ambulance as well.
Now, I'll admit to being a bit worried, 'cause the matriarch of the family had a stroke a few weeks ago. In spite of the lights & sirens response, though, no one appeared worried. No one was rushing. And, well, we've been living here almost six months now, so we know the sort of people we share a duplex with. (The mother is a wonderful, sweet lady, her son is polite if sometimes noisy, and her daughter...well, her daughter asks strangers for prescription drugs.)
And I couldn't help but think of Ambulance Driver & TOTWTYTR. It was, as I commented mostly to myself, white trash dinner theater. Complete with somewhat agitated visitors (I'm sure someone said "ammalance") and people wandering over from other houses. And, of course, the two of us watching out the window.
Erik voted for OD. I don't think it was anything that risky. I think her pain just got out of hand again, and no one there with her had strong enough narcotics. Yes, they stuck her on a stretcher and took her out to the ammalance, but they did so at a stroll.
Sigh.
**Oh, and those fires? They seriously scare the crap out of me. Especially since one of them took place a block away from us.
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