It was October 2016, and for some at Pappasitto's Cantina, they were unknowingly having their last meal. Dad asked, "Where do you guys want to go for dinner tonight?" Thinking strongly, "We should go to Pappasitto's tonight, it has been a while," I said. Dad said, "Great choice, Sid."
As we drove to the restaurant, we passed by large buildings throughout Buckhead. I stared at the king and queen buildings, intently. The design of the buildings paired with the gleaming blue lights, appealed to my sense of aesthetics. I shook my head, smiling. The sky was about to break into utter darkness, it looked like a dark shade of beautiful orange. We were finally arriving at the restaurant after a good thirty-minute drive.
As we pulled into the parking-lot we were greeted by a trail of RGB lights. "Time to eat," I said. As we walked into the restaurant, I was instantly greeted by a strong aroma of cinnamon. As we were seated the waitress asked, "Any drinks to start you guys off tonight?" I said, "Just some water with light ice." We had not been to this restaurant in a while, so I was surprised by how the ambiance had evolved. There was a very grand look to the restaurant with torch lights. I felt as if I were in a castle. The torch lights kept us all very warm, along with the tortilla machine.
The waitress had come back with our waters, "So what would you all like for dinner tonight," she asked. My dad said, "We will get two Giant Shrimp Brochettes with Fajitas: Chicken Fajitas." The waitress said, "I'll get that started for you all." We just received our dishes. The smell from the food was overwhelming; my mind, my nose, all of it was processing so much, but the dominant sensation I had was the literal feeling of crackling in my ears from the sizzling platters. We all took our first bites, and they were amazing.
All of the food was perfectly cooked to the point it melted in my mouth. Everything was perfectly balanced. "Enjoying the food," said the waitress. Right as my dad was about to respond, we heard blood curdling screams throughout the restaurant. We all instantly turned our heads in the direction of the screaming, then we started to see everyone charging towards us. We got up and moved in the direction of the crowd.
It was hard for me to move because I had a cast on my leg, so it really put stress on me mentally and physically. The noise was like a fire alarm blaring in my ears. As it slowly died down, there were several gun shots, which were very close. "Exit from the back, get out, go," yelled the staff. I was being pushed back in forth while we were rushing out. Right as I was approaching the exit, my cast got stuck in a table. I started to cry, intensely.
"Help me, please help," I screamed. Luckily my dad came, he flipped the table for me, and then we got out. I felt like at any second, I could be shot, and my life would be over, instantaneously. "As you know, there was obviously a shooting. Two were shot," my dad said. "Oh my god," my mom said. Looking back at this situation, I was thinking that appreciation of everything you have, at all times, makes a happy life for you.
In life, we all work hard to get goods and services to benefit us, but we never seem to have the feeling of enough. We also need to realize that our lives have meaning, they have an impact, but only if we cherish and appreciate what we have. Thus, we must do just that because at any second you could just die. "Unfortunately, one of the victims died," Dad said to all of us.
