The most embarrassing thing I almost did

Kathy Ann
Kathy Ann
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read

It is past midnight. Every window in the apartment complex is dark. I see a dim light that appears to be a low burning flame coming from the ground about 200 feet away from my car. Did someone throw a lit cigarette butt in the bark mulch? Like a camp fire, I really can’t tell if it’s going out or if it’s been recently started. I am just about to dial 911. I decide to go over and see if I can extinguish it myself before they come. With phone in hand, and my good intentions, I walk quickly to see the source up close. It’’s glowing and sparkling brighter now.

What? A pinwheel? A glittery. golden sunflower? Really????

Sneaky leaves waving in the wind, bouncing up and down, feigning fire flash by letting light from a street lamp in and out. It was just reflections dancing upon the rapidly moving petals of a metallic flower!

Relieved there wasn’t a fire to worry abour, I gathered my things from my car and headed to my apartment. On the way, I imagined how humiliating it would have been if I had dialed 911. The sound of engines roaring, sirens souring, and the sight of red lights roaming round and round. Next, emergency personnel jump out of their trucks ready to douse the cause of my alarm. Then, the neighbors, rudely awakened by the ruckus I had invited, would rush outside. They’d walk up to see what was happening, and I would have to explain it to all of them. And finally, I am known from that night on as Kathy Qioxte. The only difference between Don and me is the size of the enemy. He saw windmills, I saw a pinwheel. We both saw danger. We both were wrong, but our intentions were noble.

Kathy Ann

Kathy Ann

Freelance writer

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