2:18 PM Saturday afternoon – Going down the escalator to get some soft pretzels.
2:19 PM Saturday afternoon – Walking towards the middle of the mall.
2:20 PM Saturday afternoon – Three gunshots.
2:21 PM Saturday afternoon – Ducking, dodging, screaming, and running towards the nearest exit.
November 12, 2016 will be a day that I, like most, will never forget. I was with my sister shopping at Crossgates Mall on a bright, Saturday afternoon when three gunshots rang out throughout the halls of the mall. At first, I thought it was a child playing with a pop gun. But when I looked around and saw people ducking and diving, screaming and running, I knew that a kid wasn’t simply having fun with a novelty toy. My sister grabbed my hand and we ran with the crowd towards the nearest exit, which seemed like a mile away. My stomach was in my throat and my heartbeat was in my ears as I gripped my sister’s hand as hard as I could and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. We finally broke through the doors and into the beautiful day that was now tainted evil as we ran through the parking lot. No one knew details as to what was going on; just that someone had a gun and they were using it. For what purpose, we didn’t know. Where they were, we didn’t know. What they looked like, we didn't know. We all just knew we needed to flee. My sister and I zigzagged through the lot, going between cars; our hands never coming unclasped. We saw a family of four walking in, for they were oblivious to what was going. We told them what had happened and asked them to drive us to our car. They looked around and offered to take us home instead. Their graciousness to us amidst the chaos will never go forgotten or unappreciated.
As I write this, I am safe in my home, my phone dropped and lost amongst the escape and my hips, knees, and elbows bruised from falling on my way out the door. But those are just trivial things. My mind is swirling as to why someone would even think to do this. What was a happy afternoon for hundreds of shoppers bustling around the mall knocking out some early holiday shopping was soiled and turned into a day that will go down in history as one of the most frightening, anxiety-fueling, terror-producing experiences that will ever happen in their entire lives.
To some, people will see this as a way to incorporate gun control into society. To others, some will say that more people need to carry guns for self-defense. But those issues are the least of my worries. For me, I will never forget sitting in the back of that loving family’s car, my hand still locked inside my sister’s, in shock that just moments earlier could have been my last breath taken. And as I sat next to the two little children, I prayed for their safety and that they would never have to experience anything so horrific in their lifetime. I thanked God that the situation wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. My whole body shook realizing the evil in this world. You hear of shootings on the news; but to experience it first-hand… Well, it’s a whole other feeling and sense of fear.
Be the light in this world. Be the family that graciously let my sister and me into their car – they had no clue who we were but yet they let us in anyway. Be the kindness that I fear is dying. Be the chivalry that everyone says is dead. Hug your family and friends tighter than you ever have before. But most importantly, don’t live your life in fear. The shock of this event will live with me for the rest of my life, but I can’t let it define me. And if you are the kindness in this world, the fear of evil won’t define you either.
