Thursday, January 22, 2009

Armed Robbery / Atraco armado

Armed Robbery

Yesterday afternoon José Miguel's sister Patricia called to ask if her son Daniel could put me down as a personal reference for a job application. I said sure, and we chatted for a bit. This morning José Miguel called to say that last night Patricia and Daniel had gone to the corner bakery to buy bread, when two armed men came in to rob the store. Daniel made a sudden move and they shot him, twice. The first shot hit his cell phone in the breast pocket of his jacket, and did not harm him (do you suppose he had some Christian rock on his cell phone?). The second bullet when right through his shoulder. Daniel is stable, although in pain, and is waiting to have surgery because of damage to the bones in the shoulder. Patricia is shaken, sleepless, but okay too.

It is the randomness of the incident that is disturbing. Some people look at a situation like this and call it an act of fate, destiny, etc. I say cut the Grand Plan crap. It was a random, unfortunate incident that makes no sense. Not many people have any reason to expect they will be shot while buying bread at the corner store.

Is there a lesson to be learned here? No. Well maybe: Eat dessert first. Get what's important done. Life is fragile.

So Cameron and a friend are coming to visit Bog? I can recommend lots of things to do, sights to see, places to eat. Perhaps not bakeries.

Atraco armado

Ayer por la tarde Patricia, la hermana de José Miguel, me llamó para preguntar si su hijo Daniel podría colocar mi nombre como referencia personal en una solicitud de trabajo. Dije que sí, y hablamos un rato. Esta mañana José Miguel me llamó para contarme que anoche Patricia y Daniel estaban en la panadería para comprar pan cuando dos hombres armados entraron para atracar el sitio. Daniel hizo un movimiento súbito y le disparó, dos veces. El primero tiro pegó a su teléfono celular en el bolsillo de la chaqueta, y no le hizo daño (será que tenía algo de rock cristiano en su celular?) La segunda bala pasó derecho por su hombro. Daniel está estable, aunque adolorido, y está esperando entrar en cirugía por el daño a los huesos del hombro. Patricia está alterada, trasnochada, pero está bien.

Es el elemento del azar que me inquieta en este incidente. Algunas personas miran una situación de éstas y la llaman un acto de destino. Digo yo que buscar apoyarse en la existencia de un plan maestro es mucha mierda. Fue un incidente desafortunado, al azar, que no tiene sentido. No hay muchas personas quienes tendrían porque esperar un tiro mientras que compran pan en la tienda de la esquina.

Aquí hay alguna lección? No. Bueno, tal vez: Coma el postre de primeras. Haga lo importante en la vida. La vida es frágil.

Entonces Cameron viene con un amigo a conocer Bogotá. Puedo recomendar muchas cosas para hacer, para ver, sitios para comer. Tal vez no panaderías.

2 comments:

Lorianne said...

Wow - how scary! Was that in Pablo VI? Things happen anywhere - this week a 19 year old guy was shot on the TTC subway platform in Toronto - but that close to home makes you think twice about sending your kids to pick up pan blandito.

Leslie Carmichael said...

No, it was in Santa Barbara... but it could be anywhere. Thugs robbing a bakery are not exactly sophisticated criminals pulling off a multimillion heist.