... but we also strive to serve and protect. Let me explain.
After yesterday's abbreviated and abridged training walk, Team Udderly Pink declared that we would make good on today's walk - that we would walk AT LEAST the 9 miles that was on our training schedule. Obviously the heat must have gotten to our brains.
First of all, Sharon texted early this morning that she had a migraine and would be out for today. Next Molly texted and said that after yesterday's return trip from Atlanta, where we had to stop twice at possibly the worst gas station and McDonald's bathrooms in existence, that she would choose to stay home and close to a bathroom that had at least seen a Clorox wipe in the last decade. In case you have your calculator out, that leaves four of us to do the "nine" miles.
I admit - my attitude this morning was not stellar. There was the fact that although we weren't walking until 5:30am, I was up at 4am. Also I was still a little road-weary from a quick trip to Atlanta. And then there was the heat. But I knew that if I just got out and managed to get a mile or two in, I would probably feel better. So I headed out for our meeting spot, the DL football field parking lot.
As I stopped at the stop sign by the parking lot, I noticed a red truck on the side of the road. I didn't find it unusual, or maybe I was just too busy hoping that I would find none of my team's cars in the parking lot. Unfortunately, I did.
KP and Jo were already there, and soon KB showed up and we started off. As we got closer to the aforementioned stop sign, the conversation turned to the red truck. As it turned out, KP (or maybe it was Jo) had noticed the truck AND the man splayed out on the grass beside the truck. And Jo (or maybe it was KP) had also noticed that the door to the red truck was open, and there seemed to be some legs sticking out.
Well, we started chatting about what should we do, was the man dead, what was the story, and so on. Finally the decision was made that perhaps we should inquire as to the well-being of the man on the grass. So, KB, in her best Southern Belle drawl, called out, "Suh - Suh - are you aw-rite???" However, the Southern charm apparently did nothing, as the man did not stir. KB called out again, and someone saw his leg move, so the next move was on us.
After another short discussion, we decided that the authorities should be called. KB called the alternate 911 phone number (which Jo knew by heart, but that reason comes later) and started telling the red-truck-man-on-grass story (first explaining that we were out walking, because it's important to form a base for the report). After the almost-emergency-operator asked for her name and phone number (because I guess that was important in case the operator wanted to join us on a walk), KB kept explaining that it didn't seem that this situation was too normal, and that perhaps help needed to be summoned. Apparently the operator didn't think so, so KB hung up.
Now we were in a dilemma - red truck, man on grass, woman in truck, hot weather - WHAT DO WE DO? We sure as heck weren't about to go over and personally check on these people (we were making the phone calls from one street over). So, Jo decided she would call the non-emergency number AGAIN. Apparently Jo is a frequent caller to this number, as she has quite a bit of potential crime to report around her neighborhood, including the time there was a woman chasing after a man with a 2x4. Anyhow, Jo calls and either gets a different operator or KB's operator believes Jo more because Jo calls all the time, but at any rate, Jo gets Ms. Operator to call on the hotline and summon the Po-po.
Well, of course, we cannot leave the scene because (a) we need to make sure the police arrive, and (b) we need to see what happens. So, we start walking up one street, still in full sight of the red truck, until we hear the ambulances coming, then we turn around and walk back to the scene. Because we don't want to look really stupid (which is ridiculous since that train left the moment KB called out to see if Mr. Drunk On The Grass was okay), we walk over to the parking lot where our cars are. KP and Jo stay on the street so not to look too obvious, while I go over to the grass to get a really good look at the goings-on (to which KB joined me). The police start looking around (a second car had arrived at this point), and we decide that we need to start walking to look normal. So we start walking on the path around the football field. In full view of the red truck, the police, the fire trucks, and the ambulance that have all shown up.
As we are walking in circles (yes circles - we didn't want to get too far away), we hear the police sound their horns and sirens in an attempt to wake up the Drunk on The Grass Dude. They are also yelling at him. Because we think that things are going to start happening fast, we decide to turn around and walk on the street - back to the start which will lead us RIGHT PAST THE RED TRUCK AND ALL THE ACTION.
Which we do, which is when we get to see that the man is not dead and can stand up if there are enough policemen holding him up; that the girl in the truck has no pants on - they are on the road by the door of the truck; and that obviously both of them are going to be loaded onto the ambulance for a trip that neither of them had planned on making.
Confident that the police and fire department could handle the situation without our help, we continued to walk to my house to survey the construction project, and then back to the red truck, where (since all the official personnel had left) we could peek inside the truck (well, Jo did and once she told us that somebody had obviously thrown up in there, nobody else wanted a look). Jo also noticed that the car tags expired yesterday, so it looks like these two are going to get a bonus to today's escapade.
In the end, we only did three miles, but it in order to protect the public, we have to pick and choose!!
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Today's blessings: exciting training walk with the Karens and Jo; Everley time at her house
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