It Never Stops

[azbrian]

My oldest son Tom just called me. He was going to an interview, he had a phone interview last night with them and they gave him the address and told him to go to building B there today.

On the phone Tom told me when he saw it was an apartment complex he thought he should have kept going. But he pulled in and as he did a guy game up to his window and asked if he was Thomas. As Tom turned he saw a guy in a mask with a gun. He demanded money, Tom said I don't have any and the guy cursed and ran away. Tom pulled into a Taco Bell and called the police.

We talked for awhile and then Tom said, "Dad I usually Google the companies and I forgot and I'll never forget again."

I am really getting tired of being tested on how much I can take. Because if it keeps going I am going to write a book about the last two years of my life and sell it to Hallmark to make one of those sad tear jerking movies they make.

This terrified me, I could have lost someone else today, if Ruth were still alive I cannot imagine what kind of shape she would be in right now.

It's gonna be a jack and coke night tonight.

[dave s]

sorry you had another test in life, I live in wittmann, what kind of work do you guys do? Will keep my ears open to any jobs. dave

[Perkins808]

Brian,

I am so sorry that this happened to your son - but so thankful that he wasn't hurt!

Hugs,

Tammy

[melina]

How scary - and what a relief that it went okay.

It does seem like it never stops sometimes. Though this was a particularly frightening episode and would be bad whether you were grieving or not, I wonder sometimes if things that happen often seem worse because of what we've been through. As though bad things are intensified in light of our grief. Plus we have no one to share them with.

We had a financial crisis around the time my husband was diagnosed with cancer and had to sell the house we'd lived in for 20 years. We finally found another place to live. Then our dog died. After that we had to fly to the U.S. for our eldest son's wedding, but the flights were so delayed, we had to be put up in a hotel and spent hours and hours at various airports - and having my husband with cancer to take care of, it was almost more than we could bear. We just made it to Maine in time for the wedding.

Just after my husband's death I was driving to town to pick up my youngest son at the train station. A car came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of my car - where I was sitting - shoving me and my car into a brick wall. When I'd finally managed to pry my way out, the car had taken off. Hit and run.

It was a very scary situation. I managed to drive, scraping along the road, to town and pick up my son who was stunned to see this wreck of a car waiting for him.

What with the countless parking tickets, a painful slipped disc (for me), huge unexpected bills etc. etc. I've often felt cursed. I really felt someone was out to get me. Not in the psychotic paranoid way - but I felt like I was being punished. I felt like screaming from the rooftops "Okay come and get me! Get this over with!"

What I didn't think about - and what my grief counselor tried to get me to see - was that we did make it for our son's wedding. We were there. We did get a new home to live in - though I miss our old house, this one is good enough. I didn't get killed in the accident - in fact, I wasn't even hurt. Though I did lose my insurance bonus. Still, it's hard to consider all this when misfortune hits us.

Anyway - this is not meant in any way to undermine the terrible thing with your son - but at least he wasn't hurt. He could have been killed, but he wasn't. So I suppose we just have to manage and count our blessings, as inane as that sounds.

Melina

[ksbeachbum]

Brian:

Don't feel alone is this arena. My husband Randy died of maxillary sinus cancer April 12,2011 in Florida. We were in the process of returning to our Kansas home. He never made it. We had to wait 5 days for the death certificate and his remains. Then my sister in law, mother in law and dog forged to Illinois where Randy was raised for a memorial. Then my sister in law and I forged to KS to my home after getting caught in tornado weather in Missouri. After one day of being home I had to go to the ER on Easter Sunday. It was a kidney stone that was wedged in and I wasn't going to pass it. In the hospital for surgery. Finally recovered from that and time for the memorial for Randy in KS. The back yard is a jungle so I have started trimming only to contract poison ivy. Feel like crap and then started a new job last week. Too much, too soon and what am I doing? The job is probably not going to work, just because I do not feel like I can get through it w/o crying daily. I need to allow time for healing and so do you. I'm thinking that now that we have all this BAD stuff out of our way, things will start to look up for you and me. Please don't give up and keep the faith and hope that the sun will rise and tomorrow will be a better day.

Blessing to you

Becky

[Dwaynecg]

Brian,

So glad that God was looking after your son and no harm came to him. It is a hard way to learn a lesson in life.

Dwayne

[kayc]

Wow, I'm glad you told us about that because I'm job hunting now, I didn't know people used that as a scam too. I guess they'll stoop to anything. It'd odd they'd think someone looking for work has money!

I'm very glad your son is okay, that is a very scary experience. Yes, be glad Ruth didn't have to experience that scare.

[azbrian]

That is another reason why I posted it Kay, there are a lot of desperate people out there.

I do have an update.

Tom called me on his way into Mesa PD, they had called him in. Turns out about two hours after Tom's adventure they arrested a guy for about the same thing. Tom is not sure if it was the same kind of scam, he was going to ask. Tom will not be able to pick him out of any line up, maybe voice.

Tom said the officer had noted on his report that Tom did not look stable at the scene. Not just because of what had just happened but about 6 months ago he was in a mall parking lot going to Barnes and Noble and some guy jumped out, punched him in the stomach and took his Ipod. None in bad areas. I think he told the officer about this and that he just lost his mother 2 months ago.

After the interview to hopefully get this guy (insert many colorful metaphors here) in jail, they had set up for him to talk to counselors from the city because of what the officer wrote in his report.

I text'd him a little while ago to see if he was still there, he was. I then asked if he was okay, no answer yet...........

[azbrian]

I have of course been thinking of and including my kids in the "it never ends" and whatever else goes on.

Maybe it does stop a little and some good does happen once in awhile.

I am actually happy for the first time in months.

They actually caught the SOB that held a gun to my son. I am simply amazed. The odds on catching someone in an event like this like a thousand times under zero.

The police arrested the guy while he tried stealing a woman's purse about 2 hours after he tried robbing Tom. Maybe they had more police in the area because of a guy was running around with a gun. There was an officer sitting in his car about a block away and saw the guy taking her purse and chased him down.

I don't know if tasers, clubs and mace was used but I can hope.

Even though I never watched COPS, I have seen the commercials and I hear in my head "Bad boys, bad boys....", I don' t know the rest..........

Simply amazing.

Tom and the woman (about 55-60 Tom said) both got to see him through the glass and do all those things. Tom said the woman was also very upset. Then Tom went to talk with the counselor.

He said it went okay but I don't know. He said he had a panic attack which took about 15 minutes to shake and he would not tell me what he was talking about at the time. Could be he just finally hit a breaking point. I wrote earlier this is the third major event in his life in the last 6-8 months. He has been given 2-3 sessions in the next month with them he said. She also suggested a group but Tom said no to that. I told him that was fine you will do that when you want to.

I really hope the guy is in Tent City with Sheriff Joe right now.