The Night the Lights Went Out
October 15, 2024
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 was a normal day. I went to the gym, went to work, and texted with friends and family. I was hungry, so I walked down the street to grab a drink and a sushi roll. It was 7 p.m. local time. I bellied up to the bar and ordered a gin-and-soda.
Mere minutes later, I felt a strange sensation in my head and neck. Sounds and sights got far away. Over the next minute, I started sweating, then I got nervous, then frightened. In a blink, I progressed from, “I should go home”, to “I should go to the bathroom”, to “I should lay down”, to “I need to get help.”
“Christ, someb —
<cuts to black>
The lights turned on. I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by people I didn’t know.
“The fuck am I doing on the floor? The fuck is this? …. blood?”
My nose was gushing. Mangled up pretty good. My head hurt. I was in shock. An ambulance was on its way; it couldn’t get there fast enough.
“Help me.” I kept saying. “Help me.”
They told me to lie down with my feet elevated. Someone gave me a sugar packet and a bottle of water. Within 10 minutes, I felt fine and cracked a litany of jokes with the EMTs.
