Danger

Nothing grabs your attention and focuses the mind like the unwelcome touch of cold steel at the base of the neck. Gary continued the story, his group of friends hanging on every word.

"I knew I was in trouble when the chopped blue Chevy first rolled up, tinted back window half-down, a voice asking "where's Wilshire?" We were just off the corner of Wilshire and Cochran, so I knew the question was whack. Had a good hunch what was coming next.

But I just kept walking, then I heard the car doors opening, footsteps coming up behind me real fast. One dude grabs my arm, I know not to turn around, then the gun to my head.

I could sense there were three behind me, they were young. Nervous. One of them kept saying "Don't be stupid.", as if that was my plan, while the other two went through my pockets. I remembered I had only three dollars in cash, and my cards. 

My thoughts were racing, but I felt calmer than they were, which I knew wasn't a good thing. The gun stayed on my neck the whole time, probably mere moments really, but time had already frozen, everything happening in eerie, slow motion.

I thought of my mom, getting the call from the coroner. She's already been through so much in her life, how will she process the worst news? I thought of just running, bolting away from the moment in one desperate lunge. 

But the gun focused me to think crystal clear: my best chance was to do nothing, to just stay still. Given my family's Holocaust history, being a passive victim was actually excrutiating for me. But, for my mom's sake, I realized this was definitely not a moment for bravado.

I could hear and feel the one behind me breathing hard, gripping my forearm too tightly. I realized he too was scared, in a different way. I also sensed they were probably teens, maybe new to this robbing game. All three, maybe half my age. Punks.

I noticed the storefront doorway to my right, the curb to my left. I started thinking about where I would dive if they started shooting, and how pointless it would be to die for three dollars. 

It was 1a.m., no one out this late. I was a block away from my brownstone.

You hear about what goes through your mind, your whole life flashing, loved ones, etc. There was none of that.

At this point, don't know why, I decided to speak, feeling I had nothing to lose. "Look, I haven't seen your face. You have my money." None of them spoke back. But then, just as quickly, it was over, the car doors opening again, the Chevy burning rubber making a U-rurn, zooming back south on Cochran. Just like that!"

One of Gary's friends asked impatiently, "Then what, man. What happened next?"

But Gary was done for that day and story. "What happened? Got away, didn't I?"