Not the average Thursday Afternoon

So it started off like any regular Thursday. Class was let out, everyone said their goodbyes and we all went our respective ways. I was waiting for the bus which seemed to be later than usual which bugs the shit out of me. Well let me tell you how awesome it was when my already late bus got caught in a construction zone - for an hour and a half!

I was on my way to a long sought after volunteer position with the Lookout drop in shelter ‘the Getaway’. But it was running later than I wanted to be out that night because I still wanted time with my boys before they went to bed. I wanted to be done before 7 kind of thing, but was held up until 5 with an hour travel time left to get there. The math didn’t work there for me. So I canceled last minute.

When I got to the Skytrain station I noticed the attendant hovering around a man that seemed slightly disoriented and had a bloody chin and hand. No buddy was offering him help but rather circling around him every time he moved like someone would do dancing around a snake trying to catch its tail or avoiding the poisonous fangs that delivers a fatal bite. More the latter in this case.

I felt so bad for the guy that I walked over and asked the attendant if this man is ok. He said “yeah, yeah the cops are on the way.” ‘Nope’ I thought to myself!

“Did you ask him if he’s ok and offer him first aid this MAN is bleeding!” I asked and stated. I took off my backpack and took out my naloxone kit and put on the gloves from it and opened the alcohol swabs and started wiping the blood away from the wound - which was still bleeding - and off of his hands. His face mask was soaked with blood. While I did all this I asked him his name and where he was going to see how aware he was. Then I asked him what happened to which he said he had been drinking and he stumbled and fell. He was trying to make it back to Main and Hastings where he lived, which was a bit of a surprise because other than the blood and being drunk he was otherwise clean cut, well groomed and well dressed young man. I also proceeded to ask him where was from because I heard an accent. He said Morocco. So I word dropped the six French phrases I knew and instantly we were best friends to this guy! It was so funny and cool to experience.

I said to the attendant that I would be willing to take him from there to Main and Hastings because I was going right through there, basically, to get home. He said “hang on the cops are coming.”

‘For what?’ I thought

Before I could say anything up runs an ethnic version of Dudley Do Right there to save the world from all doom but bring the gloom. No mask I might add. His partner came running up all worked up. No vest on. But worked up. The officer asked what’s going on and before the sky train attendant could say a word I piped up.

“Jay here (let’s call him that anyway), was out for a few drinks with the fellas you know. He’s trying to get back home safely by taking the transit but he fell because he had two to many of you know what I mean - wink, wink, nudge, nudge - and he tripped and smashed his chin. He just needs some first aid and I’ll take him home myself you have my word “

The cop looked me up and down. I’m 6’3” tall weigh about 230 lbs or more maybe, and there isn’t much of my skin not covered by ink most of which very apparent prison ink. “ and who are you” he asked, “ and why is he drunk in public?”

With confidence of the gods, I said head up and shoulders back, “ my name is Sandy. I’m a community support worker he’s in public because he wants to go home from where he was drinking and I have no problem assuming responsibility for this man and seeing that he gets home safely!”

The cop looked me up and down again, “ you don’t do yeah?” He snarked a bit. “Ok then, thanks very much for doing this. Have a great day.” The attendant was looking on in disbelief or wonderment, I’m not certain which, maybe both. I then aske the attendant if he had any first aid supplies and an extra mask for this man in front of the officer. “Of course” he answered.

We got him cleaned up and the police left much calmer than when they arrived. It was all perception. God only knows how that young attendant reported that man to the police as. So they rushed in accordingly but saw a different situation when this man and I were laughing and talking arm around me to show his friendship and to balance just a little! So they thankfully stopped and asked some clarifying questions. My new friend and I got on the train, but the story doesn’t end here.

About five or six stops later the man gets up and exits the train saying he was ok and that he’d be right back. I urged him to return to his seat because the train was going to leave.

“Bing bong boo,” the doors slide closed on the train. He was on his own again. I called the attendants on the security phone and I explained the situation to them and told them I just wanted to make sure he’s ok, he’s harmless just a bit drunk. Please treat him respectfully.

The attendant thanked me for my call and assured me that they had it under control. I sure hope so.

My train reached my stop where I switched back to the bus for the last leg of my journey. I got off and started walking down the street. I noticed that the block was blocked off by police officers, Victory Square was full of people, and there were little groups of people all over. Occasionally people congregated between whatever was happening and a break until they were allowed to continue on their way. Usually I would walk past such a thing because despite what you read about my last experience with cops being confident and sure, I’m usually terrified and jam up vocally losing all my words from fear. My experiences with police always ended badly for me because of my record. I get profiled all the time. It’s traumatizing to be honest. So anything with cops I avoid and catch it on the news later. Not today for some reason.

I walked right past the cops, past the crowd of people, past the smaller groups of people, that turned out to be film crew members, and walked up to some pylons on the corner of the street. There was a security guard standing there saying,”lock it up, lock it up,” or was it down? Anyway, not the point.

When he finished yelling I thought for sure he was going to ask me to move because I was like in there, in there. So I struck up a conversation with this guy. I actually got the conversation recorded on a video I was taking of the experience. At first I was just standing there watching everyone hustle around and orders being yelled. Then it dawned on me that I should have my friggen camera out recording. During the conversation the security explained to me what was happening. They were shooting a tv show for Netflix starring Jennifer Lopez and that if I looked closely, she was across the street in the parking garage shooting a big gun at some vehicles that are doing some stunt traffic and that I should get a great shot from where I was standing! So awesome, I’m not being moved.

“ACTION”

Car tires squealed, a lady gets kidnapped and thrown into a van, J-Lo fires the rifle as big as she is from the garage, more squealing tires, a bus drives through, I’m not even sure this was the order of events sequentially, and scene!

I was in awe! Understatement. I was star struck like a school girl and my heart was pounding. It all happened only steps from where I was standing recording, while everyone else was being held at bay by the police and security. Crazy shit man. I tried to film every part of that scene at once ending up with a Blair witchlike quality of video riddled with shaky movements and lots of turning and spinning. I vocalized my disappointment to the affect of this but was reassured by the security guard that they were going to shoot it again, they just had to let the people walk across the street from where they were being held back at and some busses had to come through too. So as long as I didn’t mind hanging around while they dealt with that I’d have the chance to film it again. I was ecstatic!! I felt like a Fucking rockstar. Why wasn’t I being asked to move? Crazy!!

Not two minutes after I thought that question, a lady, boss like security person, I affectionately deemed her ‘Atilla the Hun,’ came along and said I had to move back and so did the dudes with cameras who’s shots I kept blocking with my turning every which way. I was trying to take everything in not, wanting to miss even the smallest detail. I guess it was reported that us four ended up in the shot so we had to move back. The officer got involved and pushed us back about 15 yards by where he parked his cruiser bike. But we were still way closer than where the ‘civilian crowd’ was behind held at bay.

Extraordinary! I lost some really good line of sight for some of the scene and I could no longer see J-lo in the parking garage but I still got a pretty decent video of the scene and decided to be satisfied with that. I called my wife for the third time during this experience but this time to tell her I was done and I was coming home. We said our goodbyes.

I was now back among the crowd of ‘civilians’ being herded in the direction we were mandated to travel. I saw that across the street wasn’t really zoned off in anyway so I asked the officer if I was allowed to cross the street and hang out in that area.

“Sure,” he replied.

I was giddy all over again. I was now standing directly across the street from Jennifer Lopez shooting a gun in the next take, not the side on view I had from my last post. I was also directly across from where the stunt driving ended with a corner drift into a parked position after barrelling around the block squealing tires. I had a whole new perspective!

Unfortunately a guy showed up and told me I had to shuffle up the street closer to this post about ten yards if that away. I still had an amazing view point.

“ACTION”

Tires Squealed, gun shots, a lady yelled while her friend was behind kidnapped, the extras and actors ran past where I used to stand reminding me how cool it was to be that close to the talent. More screeching tires, and scene!

“CUT”

They started tearing everything down. An Escalade left the parking garage, had to be Lopez. I didn’t clue in till later. I thought there was to be another take and I told a young couple walking by to hang around to see. I felt bad because they got excited. But I was able to show them my video which was cool and all but it didn’t do seeing it live any justice at all. I called my wife again to tell her what had just happened and assured her I was on my way home now for certain.

It wasn’t my usual Thursday, or any day for that matter. I stepped way out of my comfort zone and hopefully saved a man from a horrible experience with the police because of a poorly reported incident. I assumed the care of another human being outside of my family for the first time in a long time. I made the responsible decision when that person decided to walk away from my car but did so respectfully and responsibly so to cause no further harm to that man. I challenged my fears again when it came to the police and boldly walked on set getting some amazing footage from the scene they were shooting and got footage of Jennifer Lopez!! It’s was a freaking awesome afternoon! The only thing that could have made that better was having my family there to share the experience with. Hopefully one day I can share the experience of the latter with my family and make a living at the prior caring for those that cannot care for themselves.

With that take care and have an awesome rest of your morning, afternoon, or evening. Thanks for reading my writing. This is my first public piece so I hope that the experience wasn’t to painful for you more experienced writers on Vocal. I’m in school and we are marked on grammar in our essays and even do little grammar assignments in class to help us learn to write better, so again, thanks for bearing with me on this. Much appreciated. Cheers folks. Remember, stay Carol Carter Curious! Want to know what that means? Keep reading my posts to find out. I promise to reveal the meaning of that soon.