January 8th, 2011. A day I was already not looking forward too, that only became worse than I could have imagined. I had spent 4 years in college, just finished my semester of student teaching, and now I was forced to taking an exam that would certify me to be a teacher. I spent weeks studying for the exam but the study guides left me more confused than certain about the test I was about to take. I decided to head up to Tucson early and get in some last minute studying before the exam. Also, my adviser was up there so we decided to meet up and talk about what steps to take next for my career. We met at a Barnes and Noble and I was happy to see her. Our conversation was interrupted by an obscene amount of sirens passing by. I dismissed them as the sounds of the city and continued to enjoy our meeting.
“Prosecutors charged Jared L. Loughner, a troubled 22-year-old college dropout, with five federal counts on Sunday, including the attempted assassination of a member of Congress, in connection with a shooting rampage on Saturday morning that left six people dead and 14 wounded.” (Lacey).
They say you always just know. That somewhere in the depth of your heart you know when you meet that person. It took me 9 years to finally get the words out of my mouth. 9 years to admit nothing else seemed right. We didn’t want the conversation to end so we stayed up until 3:30 in the morning. I knew and he knew that in a few days I would be back in Tempe and he would be back in China. We’d have to wait another year until we saw each other, so we planned for Tucson the next day. Both our sisters we’re getting certified to be teachers, so we figured we’d buy them some celebratory drinks after they finished the exam. I went to bed feeling like the world was mine and nothing could bring me down.
“Special Agent Tony M. Taylor Jr, of the F.B.I. said in an affidavit that an envelope found in a safe in the home bore these handwritten words: ‘I planned ahead,’ ‘My assassination’ and ‘Giffords’” (Lacey).
I finally finished my exam and expected to feel relief but the news of Gabrielle Giffords shooting hit me so hard I thought I’d be knocked to the floor. The Barnes and Noble, where I met my adviser, was directly between the shooters house and the Safeway. The sirens I heard were the sounds of people rushing to save lives. I somehow found myself on the outskirts and in the middle of a tragedy. My sister was the first person I called, she had come up to Tucson and I was going to meet her at a restaurant on 4th ave. I was about to pull up to the restaurant when I heard a crash directly into my car and mother screeching at me at the top of her lungs. Thinking I had just killed her child, I immediately started to panic as this day was crashing in on me faster than I knew how to handle. Fortunately, The kid was fine and he so sweetly asked me “Did I hurt your car?” and the witnesses reassured me that I was not in the wrong since the kid had crashed his bike into me. Still, compiling all of the days events left me with no other option than to cry.
“An outpouring of grief was on display all over Tucson, where friends of the many victims joined complete strangers in lighting candles and offering tear-filled prayers” (Lacey).
I woke up that morning with a smile on my face. I was looking forward to the day ahead and was enjoying spending the break in my hometown. I turned on the tv to find the tragedy that occurred in Tucson and immediately yelled “Holy shit Dad! There was a shooting in Tucson!”. I spent the whole morning with this weird juxtaposition of emotions. The evening before left me speechless, the news on the tv hit close to home. On the drive up to Tucson, the shootings were a clear topic of conversation. When we finally got there, I could sense the distinct feelings of tragedy in the air, yet I still felt so giddy and nervous. We sat down, ate dinner, and waited for my sister to call. The waiter told us he couldn’t believe what had happened that day, and everywhere we turned we were reminded of the tragedy. When I finally heard from my sister, she was balling. She told me she was near the restaurant and wanted to head home immediately. I found her parked in an alley crying. I didn’t expect to say goodbye to him so soon, but I had to go home with my sister. What an unsettling way to say goodbye knowing it’d be a long time until we saw each other again.
“The documents also indicated that the suspect had previous contact with the congresswoman. Also found in the safe at Mr. Loughner’s home was a letter from Ms. Giffords thanking him for attending a 2007 ‘Congress on Your Corner’ event, like the one she was holding Saturday morning when she was shot” (Lacey).
Lacy, Marc. "Evidence Points to Methodical Planning." The New York Times. 9 Jan. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2011.
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