The New Batch

I'd like to thank those who frequented my archives section during my absence last week. I still get a kick out of the image that I put up. It's from Gremlins 2 for those who don't get out much. Why do I find it funny? Because it scared the living hell out of me when I first saw it, but not the way that you're probably thinking.

Anyone who's followed this blog long enough remembers a story about someone running up in the drug store with a gun when I was eight and me being trampled as all the adults ran to save their own lives. You might also remember another story about someone pulling a gun in the theater during Another 48 Hours. Well, those two stories happened a week apart and the drug store episode happened the same day I saw Gremlins 2.

So what's the point?

Do the psych profile for an eight year old who has two perceived "near death" experiences within a seven day period. Even the most hardened projectytes have to be tempered into that life. I wasn't from the projects, just some shitty neighborhoods on occasion. Somebody pulling a gun in a movie theater and then a week later finding yourself starring in your own movie while walking around a store alone while some fool is in the front with a gun can mess you up for a few days.

There was no grief counseling. The most my mother said to me was, "If the police ask you anything, you tell them you didn't see nothing. You don't somebody coming after you because people are crazy." That just made the shit worse. LOL It never entered my mind that I might run into the guy again. After that I guess she figured I needed a pick me up so we went to see Gremlins 2...in the exact same theater we'd just run out of the week before.

I spent the entire movie looking over my shoulder checking out the facial expressions of the people behind us. Does anyone look disgruntled? Anyone looking like they're reaching for a gun? When I wasn't doing that I was sinking down in the chair hoping that the seat-back would somehow stop (or at least slow down) a bullet.

I couldn't wait to get outta there and then they did that $@##@ scene where the gremlins "take over" the theater. All I saw was the film cut off and a white screen. My heart jumped outta my chest as I dove to the floor waiting for someone to start shooting. It wasn't until I realized people were laughing and not screaming that I got up and told my mother I'd dropped my Raisinettes on the floor. 'Yeah, uh, I, uh, yelled because I really liked those Raisinettes and uh mama you work so hard to provide candy for me that I just couldn't bear to see them hit the ground."