Pandemic Journal, July 3, 2020
My broadcasts are never as interesting or dramatic as Tommy’s, but that’s OK. I know why he cried, and I’m proud of him for it. He feels deeply for other people and gets involved in their outcomes, something that is missing in too many cases. In my opinion, we need more people like him. I, on the other hand, have found comfort in the law. Mostly, it exists to prevent problems, and if problems occur, it exists to solve them. Mostly.
Injustices occur, and sometimes the law cannot fix that. Tommy was unjustly thrown out by his parents because he loved me, another man, instead of a woman. There was nothing the law could do; he was eighteen and responsible for himself. He wasn’t responsible for his parents turning their backs on him. Tommy and I were both seriously abused – gang raped, in fact – but the law could only deal with it if we had to relive the trauma and subject ourselves to rape by thcross-examination. I understand the principles underlying those conditions, and I support them. I just wish there were equally strong principles underlying protecting victims of crimes.
Speaking of victims of crimes, there were more shootings today. Gun violence is out of control in Chicago and a bunch of other large cities. We keep getting told we need sensible gun control, but as soon as new laws are passed, we get more shootings. I honestly don’t know what to believe about the topic. It’s not as though it rained firearms on people in June, so we have more shootings. If shootings are going up, something has to have changed. Same number of people, same number of guns, the only thing I can think of is that the police are pulling back. I’m not sure I blame them. We dump on them, then expect them to clean up after us. Makes no sense.
Last month was Father’s Day. I haven’t spoken to my father in years. My mother only calls when she wants to complain and remind me I have to support her. No, I don’t. I look at Aunt Kamesha as my real mother. She took me in when my birth parents didn’t want me. She’s shown me nothing but love. Sometimes it’s delivered in a rough voice, but I know she loves me. And, Tommy and I love her.
Deena lives in the building, but the translating nurses don’t. We’ve started a roster for who is going to pick them up at home and take them home at night. They appreciate it, but it’s really enlightened self-interest. We need them, neither has a car, and crime has gone through the roof. Two of us ride together at all times. They make it on-time and safely, and since our season is over it’s not like there’s a lot to do. One day this week Antoine and Ralph were picking up Consuelo and saw a gang of teenagers beginning to close in on her. Ralph blew the horn, they ignored it. Antoine jumped out of the van before it stopped and started putting teenagers on their asses. The gang tried to turn on Antoine, but there were only five or six of them, and they never had a chance. Especially once Ralph started running into them with the van. He’s such a careless driver.
Tommy’s had a rough day, with two shooting victims. Only one survived. And, the shooter was standing over the survivor getting ready to finish him off when he was surprised to find an arrow sticking out of his shooting arm. That’s a whole other story. We picked up one player from DCU this year, a point guard who was a national archery team member. After this morning he offered classes to the rest of us. I’ve signed up.
Get outside in the wind and sun and away from crowds. Staying home isn’t the best thing if you can go out and let the wind blow germs away and sunlight help you create vitamin D.
And, good night.
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