Saturday, March 26, 2005

My first 911 call! Twice.

So, I don't think I shall ever get a full nights sleep in this new apartment. If it isn't the meds hitting me with the sweats, the anxiety waking me up all through the night or the constant car alarms, it's the neighborhood or just-passing-through jaggoffs. And if it's bad now, I'm sure summer with the windows open will be impossible.

Around 3:00 a.m. I awake to a man's voice yelling and then the sound of a couple people running. "Whatever," I mumble, thinking it's just a group of drunk teens goofing home after a party, and fall back asleep.

Until 3:05 a.m. when the scene is repeated but with the added sound of something hitting something metal, like a car hood or door, hard. "Okay, " I groan, "you got me, I'll look."

I do my little old lady peek out the blinds to see a black guy dressed in all black sweats yelling at some short black (Hispanic) woman dressed in white directly across the street. The following scene apparently has been playing out and repeated for a while: he yells at her, starts walking away, she follows, says something to him, she runs for the car, he chases and grabs her as she tries to get in the car, they fall hard against the car. So, it I figure it might be a boyfriend/girlfriend fight along the lines of "no, honey, you're too drunk to drive" and I watch this same sequence of events play out again.

This time, however, she opens the door and gets push inside on her back with the guy on top of her. He proceeds to punch the shit out of her: seven or eight solid fists to the face.

"911, can I help you"

I describe the situation, and am told to wait for the cops. After what seems like forever, with another four or five punches, I call again.

I can now hear the guy yelling at her "you never fucking listen to me! You never learn!" My bedroom lights up like a disco, bathed in flashing blue as two patrol cruisers arrive. Thank God.

*sigh*

After about two minutes of discussion, everyone leaves in their own car. What I imagine is the woman told the cops nothing was wrong, press no charges. The cops said move along, which they did. Probably back to his house where she now lies dead, battered to death by her pissed off man.

I hope I didn't make matters worse.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

that's fucked up! I just remembered, that after I read this post last night before I went to bed I had a nightmare about it. I can picture the whole scenario and it creeps me out. A real-life noir scene. Yikes.

Mac said...

Oops, sorry for the nightmare.

It felt so surreal as I watched, helpless. Seeing that woman get hit like that in affected me worse than the "Curbing" scene in American History X, which still gets me creeped out years later.
Witnessing that outside my window was probably the worse thing I can remember ever seeing.

Anonymous said...

I think opening the windows this summer might drive you mad (like my old place on North Shore). I purchased an old window unit Air Conditioner at a junk sale and kept it on all night long despite the temp. The older the better, because they're great at drowning out street noises (though the freon may gas you out). Susan bought me a noise machine and that worked great too. I used it every night until I moved to the retirement neighborhood. I think I tossed it otherwise I would give it to you. I think you can buy 'em at Target for really cheap.

Mac said...

Excellent ideas, chums! Have box fan, will travel...oh wait. I get used to nearly everything over time.