A HOT DAY IN AUGUST

Can you imagine growing up in an environment where anything goes? Well, I grew up in a neighborhood that exposed me to everything from poverty, to gang violence, to a high volume of drug related activity. Mostly, I distanced myself from the negative aspects of my surroundings by staying focused on the moral and ethical values my family taught me as a child. However, on one hot day in August of 1999, I found myself caught up in a situation that was out of control, dangerous, and unforgettable.

The day started off quite typical. I woke up to a breakfast dish prepared by my grandmother, whom I was living with at the time. It consisted of bacon, eggs, sausage, and a couple of her mouthwatering home-made biscuits.

After breakfast, I took a hot shower, and then I slipped on a pair of tan dickies, a white t-shirt, and pair of black house shoes. Afterwards, I decided to step outdoors for a while, so I grabbed my battery-powered boom box, and I sat down on the front porch to listen to some tunes. The time was around 10 or 11 a.m., and the temperature outside was sweltering.

After a short while, a friend of mine by the name of Dre Brown rode up on his bicycle. I greeted him with a handshake prior to engaging in a couple of minutes of small talk, and then he peddled off. Soon after, another friend of mine approached. His name is Victor. Vic and I had been friends for a very long time. We had attended the same elementary school together, and we both grew up in the same neighborhood. “What it do?” (what are you up to?) asked Victor. “Nothing much man, just sitting out here trying to see what I can see,” I replied. Our conversation went on for another ten or fifteen minutes, then we both decided to walk around the corner to Victor’s house.

Upon arrival, we went inside to listen to the radio. We also played John Madden Football on his Sony Play Station. After about three or four games we decided to call it quits, so we left Victor’s house and headed to the neighborhood park. At the park, we watched some guy’s shoot hoop’s as we socialized with some of the area females. Before long, we ran across Big Phil. Big Phil was one of our school mates, and a friend from the community. Phil asked us to ride to the local convenience store with him. We agreed, so he convinced two of his cousins, who were also at the park, to let me and Victor borrow their bikes for a short trip to the store. A short while later, the three of us rode the bikes to the store.

At the store, I noticed a group of young, white, teenagers gathering just to left of the store’s entrance. We walked past them as we entered the store. We were only inside for a few minutes. As we were walking back to our bicycles, Victor made an offensive sexual remark toward one of the female teenagers of the group. This angered one of the male teenagers. He stood up, announcing himself as her boyfriend. He and Victor exchanged some harsh words as they engaged in a heated argument. Then, out of no where, Victor pulled out a black 9mm handgun from his waistline. He cocked the hammer back and pointed the pistol in the young man’s face.

“Now what,” Victor yelled.

At that point, I was in total shock. I didn’t even know that Victor was carrying a pistol. I can remember thinking, “what is one of those guys has a gun”, I was scared for my life. I quickly jumped one of the bicycles, and scurried off as fast as I could. Victor followed in my tracks, but Big Phil was not as fortunate. I later discovered that the chain snapped on his bicycle as he was attempting to leave.

It all happened so fast, it took a little while for me to realize the seriousness of what had occurred. I was very angry at Victor for putting my life in jeopardy, and we argued as we fled to his house. “Have you lost your mind,” I asked Victor as he was stashing the pistol in his house. There were many witnesses to the incident at the store, one of them called the cops. When the cops arrived, they apprehended Big Phil, and he led them straight to Victor’s house. Within minutes, the house was surrounded by policeman. They took Both me and Victor into custody, but I was later released to my mother and cleared of any wrong doing. As for Victor, he was identified by the victim and he spent some time in Juvenile Detention for his actions.

Since the incident, I have disassociated myself from a lot of the people I used to hang around as a teen (like Victor). Most of my childhood friends never finished high school. They are either locked up, dead, or on the streets dealing and using illegal drugs. This experience reinforced the moral and ethical values my family had been teaching me all my life. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I learned to stay away from the “wrong crowd” and stay focused on the positive aspects of my life. I’ll never forget that hot day in August. It changed my life forever.