Kevin's Watch

malik - just call the police next time. the father can explain it all to them. better than the kid getting run over.

..There is something about living in a cul de sac,,if i understand you properly, something about it being a zone,,a zone of comfort and perhaps safety. Cars do not get up to speed and zoom thru the cul. Everyone's house faces every one's house. So, trouble is generally contained as source and resolution within the cul de sac.

The concern ,,assuming there is any,,is then when a child goes beyond the safety zone, the area of comfort. Probably it is already happening since the child in examination is already mobile with bike. A parent can't watch their kid, if it is out of view. So, that is to watch for. When the little potato head escapes the cul de sac, the tragic looms larger.

There is only so much you can do as neighbor, and Malik you have done much. The paradox being..upon escaping the cul de sac,, chances of damage to you and your property decreases,,and the chances of tragic increases for the wayward tike. Such is life. I can still remember the punishment received from dad,,when i simply went down an alley that connected to the only street I was allowed to ride my bike on. Then, I did not understand the wrath, but today I do. My dad was concerned about the possible train wreck he foresaw. As a neighbor,, the feeling of helplessness is something you are dealing with. You mite be watching a very slow train wreck in progress. We are damned as thinking,, sentient, beings.

Lurch, your words are wise and appreciated. I truly hope it's not a slow train wreck.

I got to meet Lucimay last night. A beautiful soul, a lovely person. Ki and I felt like we had met a long lost friend. Our evening was too short . . . and it ended on a tragic note (began that way, too, but that's Luci's tale; I won't speak for her). We were sitting in a park, in the punctuated dark of scattered, artificial lights, surrounded by late night tennis players and skater "punks" (spoken with fondness, of course). Then we heard the sickening crash of what could only be a horrible car wreck. It happened just behind us, within running distance. And we did run, along with a dozen others, to be first on the scene. Luci called the 911--I think she was the first. Before we got close enough to be sure, I thought I heard children screaming.

One car had pregnant woman, who was starting to go into seizures. In the other car, a teenage girl was lying sideways in the aftermath of her body being flung freely inside (I assume no seatbelt). She was going into convulsions, too. They were telling her, "Wake up, baby! Don't go to sleep!" It was horrible. Cops and ambulances arrived, so we withdrew to let them do their job. I don't know if the girl died, but I had a feeling I was watching someone in her last moments. It was horrible.

So this issue is especially worrisome to me this morning.

Cars do not get up to speed and zoom thru the cul.

Sadly, that is not true here. We have had tell numerous people to slow down as they zoom to their garages. I don't understand people. Life deserves the minuscule sacrifice of getting home just a few seconds slower.

What a terrible ending to what should have been a joyous night getting to know one another. Praise HaShem Luci was quick on the dial.

Whoaaa!..My words appear to be ill-timed. Yet I suspect your coffee cup was an ocean this morning. Puts one on a stump in the middle of a field wondering about things.I can only say, Do something with it.

Wow. Hugs to everybody -- the Watchers and the injured.