Life is Short

We all know that we could walk out the door and be hit by a car. Our mommas told us that so that we would always wear clean underwear, right? (By the way the one time I did go to the hospital for a car accident, I did have on old holey underwear. Figures, huh?) Today I was reminded of the fragility of life. I don't write this so you'll worry about me or feel sorry for me, because what happened could happen anywhere, anytime. I write it as a catharsis for me.
Today as I was happily cooling down at the end of my aqua class, there was a loud noise, like an explosion. Then suddenly the teachers came rushing in with children under their arms. The front staff came rushing to the back of the academy and began yelling for everyone to get down. Now how do you get down when you are in the pool??? The noise ended and there was a momentary silence before panic set in. The people begin rushing to the front. Not me. I stayed warm and safe in the pool at the back of the academy. When things calmed down I got out (the last one) and asked what happened. My teacher looked pale and said a motorist had been shot and killed in their car in the front of our academy. Then I was pale. It was rainy and João had said he would come early and pick me up in the car. I rushed out in the rain in my bathing suit to see what had happened. There were police cars (all shot up may I add) and a silver car with the driver slumped over the steering wheel. My curiosity ended there. Selfish as I am, I could only be thankful not to see our blue car anywhere nearby. People were in tears and everyone was shaky. We all knew that it could have been someone we loved in that car and that somewhere a family lost their father, husband, son... It made for a sad morning. We still don't know what really happened. We know the police were right there (which never happens) and they caught the men on a motorcycle who fired the shots, by lobbing grenades (thus the explosion we heard). So we don't know if it was a "hit", or the poor man was a innocent bystander of the drug wars. My mind just kept thinking about what if it had happened a few minutes later when João was driving down the street. So he gets some extra hugs and kisses today. I was reminded that life really is fragile and I gotta love every minute we have together. Have you kissed someone you love today?

P.S. I post this note later today to say that I heard in the news that this was a paid killing. The man was a doctor and investigating frauds in the health care system. Two people were hit by the escaping assassins, and had broken legs, but are okay. The assassins are currently in police custody.