Posted by Nicholascardigan at spider-wk022.proxy.aol.com on June 09, 2001 at 04:54:27:
So i'm sitting in a park , late in the afternoon, smoking a cigarette. Watching the little kids play fribee across a pond, opposite from where i'm sitting. And a couple rollerblading around the pond also. Pretty normal day, as one can tell. I finish my cigarette, and sit for a second debating whether to go or have another. Decide the latter and get out my pack. All of a sudden some voice behind me says,"mind if i bum one?"
Turn around its an old man dressed in.....old man attire, ok? Anyone i look in the pack and see i only got one. I say no, last one, he starts to leave. odd moment of shame comes at me and i offer it to him.
He sits down next to me and says thank you. I want to leave and go buy a new pack but i feel like now i have to stay here till he's finished.He looks at me, and says he really appreciates me giving him my last cig, i say it's fine and he gives an old man smile. Then he starts to say i wish there was something i could give you. I say it's fine, don't sweat it. He says Wait, i'll tell you a story. Me, really not interested, say that's ok. He then of course says, i insist. so once again i feel forced to stay with the man and listen. This is what he tells me.
He was 20, when it happened. Getting ready to go leave town and go to Austin and get a new job. He lived in small town in east texas, didn't say which one, and had a girlfriend, name Samantha. he goes on to describe her, calls her beautiful, from the description he gives i can tell also. Anyway he says they had been together for 3 or 4 years. He had asked her to come with him to Austin, and get married when they got there. She said she didn't know, didn't know what her parents would think, yada yada yada. anyway he finally talks her into it, and they get ready to go. So it comes to the night before they're gonna leave. They go to the store to buy her some hose because she wants to dress up for the trip. they go into the store, but unfortunately it is being robbed by a tall man with a mask on. Burglar grab Samantha and put his gun to her head. Shoots the store clerk as he runs to the back. Kills him. Tells the guy to get out of the store and follows him outside with Samantha still being his hostage. right at that moment a cop is on the otherside of the street putting a parking ticket on a car. the cop sees the robber and goes for the gun. But the robber had already seen him, and started firing. Kills the cop with 2 shots. Samantha squirms and jerks away fromt he robber. The guy jumps him. The robber loses the gun and is on the floor with the guy. Samantha picks up the gun and points it at the robber on the ground. The robber shouts, "Don't samantha it's me! " takes off the mask and its her father. She stands there eyes wide, he says he's trying to get money for their wedding. The father looks at the guy and says if wasn't for the goddamn punk's fault none of this would have happened!! Another police car comes up a little ways down the road with the lights flashing. The father screams and pulls a knife from his back and jumps at the guy, stabbing him in the stomach. Samantha screams and starts firing, shooting her father in the back. But the police down the street only see her firing and say freeze. She turns to put her hands up, but still has the gun in her hands. They shoot and she falls to the ground. The guy saw everything. He just laid there until an ambulance came, because he was in shock. Said after that he never dated another woman again, because he missed her so bad.
After that i'm just a little bit taken aback, not sure whether this guy is serious. I ask him his name he says William, i give him mine. I say William, no matter whatm think u for telling me that story. he says well that's life for ya. Alot of decisions you gotta make along the way and a lotta people u gotta lose. I say yeah, guess u just gotta be lucky.
He grabs my arm real hard and looks at me. he says Don't u waste a goddamn minute of it. especially..He coughed especially when it's about someone worth your time. he says nice talking to you soandso, and thanks me for the cigarette and gets up and leaves. walks along the path around the pond and then goes between two houses along the path. I don't see him anymore, and get up to go to my car. Not sure if he was for real or not, but thought it was one hell of a story and thought u guys should know it too. Thanks
Nick Black