John and I were sitting at the counter of our local greasy spoon when someone shouted, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Call 911.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just wiped up some runny yellow with my wheat toast. Two girls to the left of us stood up, alarmed, but the commotion was occurring around the bend in the counter, to our right. I slid off my stool and thought, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Finally, someone to resuscitate, I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done this in a long time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A couple of steps and there she was, a girl of about sixteen flat on her back on the floor wedged between two stools, with her head at a funny right angle against the counter.<\/p>\n
People were hollering the usual, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Give her air, be careful of her neck,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d all against the silly drumbeat of call 911. Too much TV I thought.<\/p>\n
The fallen girl looked like one of Matt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s friends with that blemishless skin that screamed sacrifice me now and the rains will come. That was my first clue that she was okay. Nonetheless, kneeling over her I had to do something so I felt her carotid artery. Then I knew for sure she okay, not because her pulse lub dubbed against my fingers, but because she opened her eyes and yelped. I fully understood \u0005\u0005\u0005the yelp. Had I been Matt she might\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve smiled.<\/p>\n
This all brings me to another one of my pet peeves.<\/p>\n
If you read our local newspaper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s police beat you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see things like, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Resident saw car parked outside neighbor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house and called the police,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Suspicious looking man in black hat spotted on Arlington St, police called,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Stray dog, police called.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d As Matt is fond of saying, we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t call the police when our house caught fire. We called the fire department on their chat line after we put the fire out. Matt doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want the police near him for any reason, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to bother people.<\/p>\n
The girl on the floor? The rescue squad arrived and she walked into the ambulance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
John and I were sitting at the counter of our local greasy spoon when someone shouted, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Call 911.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just wiped up some runny yellow with my wheat toast. Two girls to the left of us stood up, alarmed, but … Continue reading