March 28th 2021, 1:00 am.
I hear a voice in my yard and my dog, Chiko, a white and blue Pitbull I have had since 2013 as a birthday gift. I go outside and see what the ruckus is, and I see and hear a woman who looks suspicious. I get asked if I had a lighter I respond NO. She is on the phone. I pay no mind. I extend my dogs chain longer just in case, and I got a wooden baseball bat for self defense.
I can hear the wind hit the leaves; it was a fresh night in Bakersfield California. What was only a few minutes felt like eternity. I see a car cut the lights and pull up in front of my home. It was a masked man in all black. I can’t hear what he says but I suddenly see the spark of what I didn’t know was a 45 caliber handgun.
I feel the heat hit my body like an eternal flame. It was loud. I hit the ground and think to myself, “Is this it?” I have so much life to live – my son, my past, and my future, all at once.