Final Notice, page 16
One part of Vince wasn’t interested in doing much of anything – that was mostly a result of the pain pills that hadn’t yet left his system. Another part of Vince wanted to say, “Hell, yes!” He compromised. “Sure. What day is it?”
“Today and tomorrow,” chirped Trudi. “$14 each.”
“OK. Let’s do tomorrow. Can we bring Miles?”
Trudi looked at the iPad, “No. No pets. But he’ll be OK on his own for a few hours. It’s a little over an hour on the 210 and there shouldn’t be much traffic on Sunday. I’m kinda curious, but we don’t need to stay long. And I wouldn’t buy a gun without Rueben’s input, anyway.”
“I agree. I’m off to Dr. Parker’s now.”
“Oh right. Are you OK to drive?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine.”
***
Vince had been going to Dr. Cyrus Parker for as long as he could remember. He told Parker about the dog attack and Dr. Parker thought that the hand looked OK. He asked Vince if there was any pain, and Vince said that there was very little. A little itching. He became agitated during his explanation and was obviously angry. He also seemed a little more distant and edgy to Parker.
Always thorough, the doctor asked Vince about blood test results and if they gave him an injection. Vince said yes and explained that samples were taken at the ER. He had also been told that Parker would get them. Parker said he hadn’t yet and would follow up.
Parker was an old school GP who was skeptical of fads and new trends, except for technology. He wasn’t an expert but having lived a very long part of his life simply, he appreciated the way technology – like smart phones, computers, applications, Bluetooth, wi-fi, etc. – affected people’s lives. That appreciation had always been a common interest that he and Vince shared and talked about in the few non-clinical moments they had together. So, it was natural that he mentioned a new watch/health monitor that he had just received for placement with a patient. It was undergoing final testing and he offered one to Vince, who needed no arm- twisting to accept. Parker told him that this thing was predicted to take off like iPhones did at first.
Vince was thrilled and they both chuckled about the Final Notice feature. Given Vince’s age and current state of health, they activated it for the 30-day notice. Dr. Parker really got Vince’s attention, however, when he passed on the information from VitalTech that some users in the earlier test had killed people after receiving their Notices. Vince wondered if the senior’s home killings, the store clerk in Missouri, or even the scientist shootings were among these events. Dr. Parker was unable to answer that question but as they discussed it, they agreed it was possible. For Vince, it was fascinating to think that he might be sharing the same technology that had triggered those deaths. As Dr. Parker was completing the forms, he realized that he needed one additional piece of information from Vince, and asked, “Do you own a gun?”
Vince answered “No,” and for no particular reason, failed to mention that he had plans to look at one tomorrow. Dr. Parker probed a bit more into his general state of mind, cognizant that Vince was angry. He asked specifically how the incident with the dog had affected him. Vince told him that he was angry that people could get away with that degree of irresponsibility with little or no risk of punishment. He explained that even if they found them, chances were, they wouldn’t be charged with anything.
They wrapped up the appointment and when Vince left, Dr. Parker completed his paperwork, which included a brief questionnaire. He was worried about Vince. On the questionnaire he indicated that Vince did not own a gun, was moderately agitated and in answer to a question asking for the physician’s view of the likelihood that Vince would use a gun in anger, he entered 3 out of 5.
***
Trudi was out when Vince arrived home, so he sat down with his laptop and looked up VitalTech and Googled the company along with shooting, killing, guns and other combinations. He saw the press release on the VitalTech site with the mention of crimes being committed. And there were a number of newspaper articles, but they weren’t related to VitalTech. He looked at the app and the more detailed desktop version and could see that the app had begun to build up his baseline data. The VT2 information had advised that it could take up to 24 hours to build a full profile.
***
CHAPTER 18 – THE GUN SHOW & NEW FRIENDS
Pasadena, California. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and after their coffee and toast, they fed Miles and let him stay outside. About an hour and fifteen minutes later they pulled into the Ontario Convention Center parking lot, paid their $5 parking fee and wondered why they shouldn’t get a discount, as their Prius took up half the space as the massive 4x4’s, Humvees and pick-up trucks that seemed to make up 90% of the vehicles. They took extra care to note where they parked because their car was completely hidden by the behemoth, gas-guzzling pieces of steel all around them.
As they walked to the ticket windows amidst the growing crowd, they felt out of place, despite having dressed down to jeans and hiking boots. The crowd was mostly middle aged with some younger people, along with a few senior citizens, some in wheelchairs. A number of families with young kids or dads with kids also made up the attendees. Even before they got to the ticket windows, there was a large NRA display, selling chances to win a gun and/or join. Peppered in between the displays were political signs denouncing various anti-gun or pro-gun-safety politicians. Some were in poor taste.
They bought their tickets and had their hands stamped in case they wanted to leave and return and followed along with the mass of humanity. Given the nature of the show and signs that “respectfully” asked people not to bring loaded weapons into the show, they were pleased to see the semblance of security for backpacks and purses, although it wasn’t terribly thorough. Enough to catch a large machine gun or rocket launcher, perhaps.
A number of people were carrying folding luggage carts and once past the ticket booths they saw why. Wholesale ammunition tents and displays were set up with what seemed like enough ammunition for a world war! And people were stacking up cases of ammunition on their carts to bring back to their trucks. Obviously, there was no limit, or if there was, it must be a lifetime supply.
Inside the hall there were hundreds of displays, from Bibles to bullets, beef jerky to body armor, political T-shirts – mostly denigrating anti-gun/pro-gun-safety politicians or touting their right-wing heroes. There were swords, knives, gun safes, spare clips, hunting apparel, flashlights, boxes and bags of ammunition and lots of guns … rifles, shotguns, gun kits (to get around the assault rifle ban in California) and handguns. The Army could have shopped here and not needed much else, except perhaps a tank or two. They stopped at a handgun vendor and looked at the range and prices. Vince overheard a couple of rough-looking customers at the booth and one asked the other something, in what sounded like Russian, about a particular gun that was small in size. His friend answered in English, “But it will kill,” followed by something (possibly a repeat) in the foreign language.
The guns were all laid out on large flat tables, tethered to the table with wire cables, long enough to allow freedom of handling. They tried holding a number of guns to see how they felt in their hands and were surprised by the weight of some. They also considered prices, discovering an amazingly wide range, and decided that $500 would be their target price. Some felt comfortable to one of them but not the other, and a few felt good to both. Vince couldn’t help but notice that when Trudi picked up a gun, she seemed to change and looked every bit as formidable as the female police and government agents he’d seen on TV. He wondered if he looked as good.
One gun that they both liked, for the feel and weight, was a Glock 19. Vince had heard the name Glock but didn’t know in what context. He asked the vendor, “If we wanted to buy a gun today, how would that work, given the 10-day waiting time in California?”
“Do you have your Handgun Safety Certificate?” the vendor asked.
“Not yet,” Vince replied.
“You can go over to the far corner of the hall and take the test, get the certificate and then come back to buy the gun. I’ll give you a receipt and you can pick it up at the Glendale Gun Store in 10 days.”
“OK. We haven’t really studied for the test.” Trudi added.
The vendor replied, “You shouldn’t have any trouble with it. Do you have any questions about these guns?”
Vince really didn’t want to engage in a sales conversation and said, “Not at the moment. Thanks.”
They walked in the direction the vendor pointed to and saw the display for the HSC test. There were also options for concealed carry permits. Vince told the heavy-set woman behind the tables that they each wanted to take the test. The woman explained, “That will be $50 for both. I’ll give you the tests and you can use this area,” pointing to the end of the table near the wall, “to fill them out. No colluding,” she said with a smile. Vince and Trudi took their test forms and shuffled down to the end of the tables. They had read all the material and discussed it but still, they were both a bit nervous. Not that anyone they knew would know if they failed, but really, how embarrassing would that be!
When they scanned down the list of questions, they smiled at each other.
A safe practice when handling a gun is to rest your finger on the outside of the trigger guard or along the side of the gun until you are ready to shoot. True/False
To “know your target, its surroundings and beyond,” you must consider that if the bullet misses or completely passes through the target, it could strike a person or object. True/False
Drinking alcohol while handling firearms is safe if your blood alcohol level remains below the legal limit. True/False
Which of the following safety points should you remember when handling a gun?
A. Never shoot a gun in celebration.
B. Do not fire at water, flat or hard surfaces.
C. Wear ear and eye protection when shooting a gun.
D. All of the above.
5. Safety Rule Number Two is keep the gun pointed:
E. To the north.
F. In the safest possible direction.
G. Up.
H. Down.
As the vendor said, they wouldn’t have much trouble. The test lady seemed impressed with their scores and they each received their very own HSC.
They browsed around a bit more and Vince took Trudi by the arm and turned her around to face a stall selling walking canes, the kind that look like most old timers’ canes, except these had Taser tips! They laughed out loud and immediately wondered if two or three friends of theirs who used canes had theirs armed with Tasers.
After a while the show was just more of the same and they headed to the food and beverage area to get a coffee. It felt good to sit down and they realized that they been there for an hour and a half. So, they finished their coffees, navigated their way past the 4x4’s, pickups and Humvees, found their Prius, and went home to Miles.
***
On their way home, Vince suddenly decided to call Qasim. As Trudi drove, Vince awkwardly held the phone in his bandaged right hand and poked at the keys to pull up Qasim Melho’s details and number. Qasim answered on the second ring and seemed pleased that it was Vince. He asked how he and Miles were doing and was happy that they were both “on the mend.” Vince then realized that he hadn’t really thought through why he was calling Qasim, other than to thank him, again, for rescuing them. But he asked very spontaneously (and perhaps because he had nothing else to say) if Qasim would like to come over to their house this afternoon or tomorrow. Vince saw Trudi glance at him sideways and there was a moment’s hesitation, and Vince added, “Are you married?”
Qasim replied, “Yes, I am. And we have a young son, who is two.”
“Why don’t you all come over? Are you free this afternoon or tomorrow?”
Qasim asked Vince to hold on a minute and Vince could hear muffled talking in the background, and then, “Yes, we would like to. I am working today and tomorrow until 2:00 PM. Could it be 3:00 tomorrow?”
“Perfect,” said Vince, looking at Trudi, hopefully, who was concentrating on the road as she pushed the speed limit by what she thought was a legal 5 mph over it. Vince gave Qasim his address and they said their goodbyes.
Trudi smiled and said, “Well it’s a good thing we have nothing on tomorrow. I’ll get an assortment of cookies or maybe bake some.”
“Thanks.”
“Thanks? He saved you and Miles, so he’s my hero, too.”
“I know Qasim is an immigrant, but I don’t know anything about his customs or anything about him.”
“Well, we’re about to find out.”
***
The next day, at 3:00 PM sharp, the car that doubled as Qasim’s Uber parked in front of Vince and Trudi’s. Qasim, dressed in tan chinos and a short-sleeve shirt, his wife, who wore loose fitting trousers, a long-sleeve blouse and a stylish shawl, and their son, in shorts and a Disneyland T-shirt, emerged. Vince and Trudi greeted them at the door and welcomed them in. Qasim’s wife, Rasha, presented Trudi with a traditional Syrian cheesecake called Halawet Jeben. When Trudi tried to pronounce the Syrian name, Rasha smiled warmly and said, “Syrian cheesecake is fine.” It looked and smelled divine and with its golden flaky top, resembled no other cheesecake she had seen. Jack, their son, was introduced. He was sweet and shy.
As they were sitting down, Qasim asked after Miles and wondered if Jack could see him.
“He’s been asking since I told them we were coming over if he could see Miles. I tried to describe him but perhaps not well.”
Vince said, “Sure. Come on Jack, help me get him.”
Jack looked excited and eagerly jumped up with Qasim on his heels.
As they went to fetch Miles, Trudi asked Rasha if Jack was born in the USA, hoping at the same time to elicit some clues about the Melhos.
Rasha’s English was excellent, with only a hint of an accent. Perhaps reading Trudi’s mind, she explained that they were from Aleppo. She had been a teacher of English and French and Qasim was a mechanical engineer with the Syrian Railroad. When the early signs of violence erupted during the outbreak of the civil war, they, as did many people, underestimated how it would escalate into the horrific war it became, so they stuck it out. Rasha was pregnant and fleeing the country wasn’t an appealing thought. But then a grenade was thrown into her classroom and Rasha, in a reflexive reaction, threw herself on the closest child. That child lived but 13 others didn’t, and Rasha’s back was shredded with shrapnel. The doctors were able to get most of it out and the physical pain was gone, but she still set off metal detectors. She also lost her baby.
As soon as she was well enough to travel, they fled to Turkey, where an aunt and uncle of Rasha’s lived. Even though these were still the early days of what was to become a mass exodus from Syria, Rasha’s relatives confided to them that they weren’t sure of Turkey’s long-term stability either, and suggested that they try to immigrate to the USA. They took their advice and after almost two years, they were granted a visa. That was two years ago, and they were hopeful that in another three-to-four years they would become US citizens. When Jack was born, they wanted an American-sounding name and surprisingly, ‘Jack’ is also a popular Syrian name.
Trudi was mesmerized by Rasha’s story and felt an enormous admiration for this soft-spoken but truly brave woman.
The four boys came back, with Miles at Jack’s side. “Vince, Rasha has been telling me their amazing story of their escape from Aleppo to Turkey and finally, here. I can fill you in later but what they have gone through is incredible!”
“Well, I for one am thankful that you made it to the USA. We may not be a perfect country, but most of the time we are better than most places.”
Qasim replied, “We’ve been very happy here. We do encounter the occasional person who doesn’t know us and says bad things, but we don’t take it personally. Or at least we try not to.”
With Jack in the room, Vince decided not to get involved in one of his bare-it-all questions. Instead he said, “Miles has really taken to Jack. Maybe because he’s closer to his size.”
Trudi asked, “Would you like coffee or tea? And what would you like, Jack?”
Jack looked at his parents, who nodded OK, so he asked for milk.
Rasha added, “Tea for me, please.”
Qasim nodded. “Same for me.”
Vince asked for a coffee and said, hopefully, “And a piece of that amazing looking … Syrian Cheesecake!” as they all laughed.
Trudi got up and Rasha asked if she could help. Trudi welcomed her.
Meanwhile, Jack was sitting on the floor with Miles, who was in a flat-out prone position, head in Jack’s lap. The men looked down and smiled at the warm scene. It briefly raised Vince’s nightmare of Miles being mauled by the pit bull, but the thought quickly receded. Qasim may have had other, even more disturbing thoughts, as he reflected on how thankful he was that Jack was here and not back there.
