Life Can Change In A Moment

By W. F. Twyman, Jr.

“In a New York minute, everything can change In a New York minute, things can get kind of strange In a New York minute, everything can change In a New York minute”— Don Henley, New York Minute

I woke up better this morning but not ready for work. I expected a carefree day of continued recovery. As the noon hour struck, my life was normal. My lungs were clearing up. I needed to call my Dad but I kept forgetting. How silly of my Dad to fear I had died months ago? My wife giving tours at her school. My older son was enjoying life on an island. Bully for him. I had no clue where my younger son was in the world but wasn’t he headed off to New York later this month? Maybe, he had left town already. My Bright and Morning Star was somewhere in very cold New Haven where temperatures dropped down to 9 degrees this morning.

I sat down and began to read. Books are the guilty pleasure of the gifted. I noticed on a news feed that the head of IDF resigned due to events of October 7. I felt instant respect for the man. I reached out to my reader friend in Jerusalem. What did she think? Should the Prime Minister resign as well? She shared with me a moving resignation letter which I promised to read before day’s end.

Then my world changed…just…like…that.

Kaboom!!! A mighty thunderous roar under clear blue skies. Seconds before the roar, I heard a legion of sirens, police cruisers and fire trucks. One’s mind goes crazy places in the first five or ten seconds of uncertainty. Was there a terror attack out there somewhere in sunny San Diego? No, I have watched too many Hollywood movies.

But that explosion was real. My friend in Jerusalem had hunkered down a few days ago under a missile attack. My mind was primed for the improbable.

I stepped outside onto the deck and could not believe my eyes. There was a raging fire, billowing smoke below me. I walked the very area where I now saw only destruction. Suppose I had been well and taken my usual walk today at this lunch hour?

Me: I just heard a big explosion outside my house. Sirens and firetrucks. Big black smoke. Wow.

Friend: What happened? You ok?

My neighbor joined me on her deck. We both looked on upon the fire in disbelief. We tried to convince each other it was nothing to worry about. I mean that raging fire is downhill from us, right? We both panicked at the same moment and ran to our front doors. Sometimes groupthink can be a life saver.

Those clouds looked mean and close. A curious neighbor bicycled up the street and told us a transformer blew up. Nothing to worry about. My neighbor and I were relieved.

Unknown to us, a mandatory evacuation order was in effect NOW! I did not know. My neighbor did not know. We were ignorant sheep in the moment.

I took pictures of the raging firestorm and sent a text to my wife and daughter. My wife did not respond as she was in a meeting. I wasn’t well and the merciless sirens, fire trucks, and helicopters dumping water didn’t help matters.

Another neighbor said the fire was contained. Then, I noticed young mothers packing up their cars and leaving. Such confusion in the moment.

It began to dawn on me that I was drifting into magical thinking. I asked another neighbor if the winds were down hill. He said, yes, and I felt assured. Yelp, just call me Fire Captain Twyman in the moment.

I finally reached my daughter. I said I should probably leave just to be safe. Mind you, I am making these calls of life and death myself in the moment. I am unaware of being at the center of a mandatory evacuation order.

What do I grab? What do I take? Not the best decisions to make when one is under the weather and feeling winded.

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“Dad, go downstairs. Find Flopsy. Can you find Hope?”

“I can’t find Hope.” Some of my readers may recall my strained relationship with Hope, our cat. “I found Flopsy!”

Flopsy was safe from harm.

“Now, call M and he will get Hope.” My younger son is an animal whisperer. He loves animals, be they pleasant or disgusting. Who did we call to remove the rat from our home? M Who did we wake up in the middle of the night to remove a possum from our dishwasher? M Who demanded a family burial with full ceremony for our bearded dragon? M Who among us plays with and engages Hope? M

My daughter hung up the phone. Flopsy was safe.

“Lying here in the darkness, I hear the sirens wail

Somebody’s going to emergency, Somebody’s going to jail

You find somebody to love in this world

You better hang on tooth and nail The wolf is always at the door”— New York Minute, Dan Henley

To Be Continued Tomorrow….