Someone Else's Life

Dear Avid Reader,

A Finger Fired A Trigger To His Name

I sat in my car at an intersection one night. One of those intersections next to a freeway overpass. And my fellow drivers and I were waiting patiently on the feeder road for the light to change when our rear views were filled with flashes of blue and red. Before we had a chance to react, they were upon us.

A Hand Set The Spark, Two Eyes Took The Aim

Zoom. A dark four-door pulled up to our right sides. Deftly it made a quick left-hand turn from the far right lane and was sent sliding under the overpass. Soon, no less than three police cruisers were zipping right behind in hot pursuit from the on-ramp to our rear. The sirens and lights surrounded us. They followed the four-door's lead and slid under the highway above. The four-door accelerated onto the opposite on-ramp, flying back the direction from whence it came.

On The Caboose Of The Train, But He Can't Be Blamed

And then, the entire intersection was filled with light. A bright cone of light descended from the sky, as if we were being abducted. The thwud-thwud-thwud of a helicopter followed and then vanished. The intersection fell silent and dark and the scene became tranquil, normal, as if nothing had happened.

Used In The Hands Of Them All Like A Tool

I have never been that close to a high speed chase and let me tell you it was exciting. And I pondered the event as I drove home. At first I thought, "What is this guy thinking? He's gone get caught. He'll run out of gas or something, the cops will drag him out of his car, beat him, and then he'll go to jail. Why prolong the inevitable?"

To Keep Up His Hate, So He Never Thinks Straight

And I had a realization. I just saw this guy's life change forever. After tonight, he'll always have this moment on his record. As he goes for a job, for a loan, anyone he meets, he'll have to explain what happened. This moment will affect his life forever and it will never be the same. And we all have had moments like this. And I was fascinated by that.

And The Hoofbeats Pound In His Brain

But of course, few of these moments are as dramatic as this one. But I see a similarity in it. Take a wedding. Isn't it a moment that will change the course of you natural life? Everything after the ceremony will be an offshoot of this one. And people like to go to weddings. I think perhaps it's because we like to be a part of the moment. Here are these two people that are going to put their lives together and change the way they live forever. There is something reassuring about it. Our lives can change as well, the proof is that these people's lives are changing, and it's changing right before our very eyes.

With His Fists In A Clench

The car chase was exactly like that. But can we take anything from these moments? Moments that are significant for others but have no direct impact on our own life? Or is it like looking into a mirror, where we can only take a meaning that we have created before the moment happens? Only a reflection of the fragility of our own existence.

They Lowered Him Down As A King

The moment haunted me. I vacillated between its significance and its meaninglessness. No worse for the wear. Deciding to put the memory in the back of my mind. I turned away from the mirror. I worry that this tale has meant nothing.

His Epitaph Plain, Only A Pawn In Their Game

The Next Post Promises To Be Better,

James