I don’t have a phone for a while, so if anyone gets a call or text from my number please ignore it. Thanks.
One Year Ago Today
I finally got new glasses because the ones I had before were so bad I couldn’t even drive with them. I learned later that they were most definitely ladies frames, but more on that later.
My Day
I was awakened by a phone call, but it was a number I didn’t recognize so I didn’t answer it. I thought it was early but it was about noon, and my dad usually calls then on Tuesdays. But I went back to sleep and waited for him to call back, and he did. The guys were working on our bathroom, so I couldn’t take a shower again. I washed my face as much as I could, but I still feel unclean. I’m two days into this and I already can’t take it. It won’t be until Friday at the earliest probably that we’ll have our new shower, so I don’t know what I’ll do until then.
I wanted to clean the church but the guys’ trucks were blocking me in, so I watched some shows while waiting and then their trucks were out of the way so I could go. I listened to more of my Newsboys, and I still have five albums left to listen to before I’m through them all. Then I went to Wal Mart and got a few things.
Robbed
Now, I can’t say much about this for certain reasons, but long story short I got robbed today. They were three black guys with facemasks and guns, and truthfully I thought it was a joke at first. They took my class ring right off my finger, they made me unclasp my watch and then took that, they took my iPhone, and my wallet which had about $300 in it and all of my cards and ID. It was at gunpoint, and I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared. I say scared, but really I just never felt that unsafe before. I really take safety for granted. The ironic thing was that instead of my heart racing faster than ever, it was as steady as can be. I just lied on the floor with my hands out and waited for the guys to be done. It was scary as hell though, but I just kept praying for God’s protection and I was happy to keep my life. Well I say that, but I hate that these guys got to put that decision on me—to give up my stuff or die.
I’ve always believed that if someone put a gun up to me and asked for my money, I wouldn’t give it to them. Mostly that came from my martial arts training, but I also had pride and didn’t want to give anyone my money because it was mine. But in the moment, all I wanted was to keep my life. The class ring I don’t care about really, although it was expensive. The watch I’ve had for several years, and I’m surprised it kept working and didn’t get scratched by now. My wallet was a gift and there really wasn’t anything in there that was valuable besides the money and bank cards. I’m lucky that I got to keep my Jesus fish ring because it’s really important to me and I’m surprised I haven’t lost it through all of my travels through the years. I also still have my cross necklace as well as my Haiti bracelet, which have tremendous sentimental value.
The thing that hurts the most is that I lost my iPhone. I’ve only had it for a month, and I’ve become really dependent on it. Now I don’t even have a phone at all, so while I figure out what can be done I’ll probably get a Tracfone for the meantime. The stuff that was on there wasn’t too important because they can be replaced, but it would suck to have to shell out another $400 for one. Plus I’ll be without the iPod, so I’ll have to use my old one in the meantime. The part that seems the most inconvenient is that I had to call the bank and cancel my cards, and now I have to replace everything and straighten it all out.
On the lighter side, at least I bought groceries before because that’s an extra $70 I got to keep. It was quite an ordeal but I’m glad I still have my life. It’s another thing in life that gives perspective. I don’t care too much about the money, although it sucks that I worked for it and gave to criminals. But at the time I had no problem forking over my belongings to these people because I thought it more important to stay alive. I’ve always thought I wasn’t afraid of dying, but in the moment when you think that you could be shot in the head your opinions change. I really didn’t want to die, and I’m glad I didn’t. And that’s about all I can say about it. Man, I can’t help but repeat the scene in my mind. Thanks for reading, and I know this sounds crazy and maybe unbelievable because I can hardly believe it myself.
—Eric Del Medico
