okra: Surreal Times

The last two days have been an insane mix of unexpected events. Yesterday morning, I woke up to find Keith already awake and in intense pain. He's been having tooth pain for awhile now, and we had gotten him a dentist appointment, but it was scheduled for the 22nd. And needless to say, this could not wait until the 22nd. I immediately called the dentist and called in to work. But, I discovered that the entire dentist's office is away this week, giving free dental care to impoverished Mexicans. Very kindly, though unfortunate for us. I had to call another dentist; they said that they could see Keith at 8 am. Meanwhile, Keith had discovered that keeping water on his tooth kept it from hurting. This meant that he had to keep a bottle of water with him at all times, as well as drink a lot of water.

Once at the dentist, they thankfully prescribed a painkiller as well as an antibiotic. As it turns out, Keith has a bad cavity that will probably require a root canal. It is a type of cavity that is sensitive to carbohydrates, and was probably inflamed by the corn flakes he had eaten that morning. We went directly to Schnuck's after the dentist, to get the prescriptions filled and to get Keith something carb-free to eat. I went in, only to find that the pharmacist was late. Even after completing my shopping she had not yet arrived. And I was not the only one waiting for her. A man delivering medicine to the pharmacy was seated next to the pharmacy window. We rolled our eyes, in unspoken solidarity. He revealed that she is late each morning. But, she did eventually arrive. I was very relieved, worrying about Keith waiting for me in the car. But, we made it home with the necessities. After the meds began to kick in (it took several hours) Keith started feeling much better and was able to get some rest and eat a cheese and mushroom omelet.

Right when we thought the traumatic day was finally over, we were lying in bed, just about to fall asleep, when we heard a loud banging outside. Our neighbor had asked us to watch his house while he was away for the night, so I thought I had better check it out. As it turns out, the noise was not originating from his house, but the house across the street. A group of police were knocking loudly on the door, and when they got no answer, they rammed the door and flooded in with their guns up. No police cars were visible, probably to avoid alerting whomever they suspected to be inside. All in all, 10 officers converged on the house, carefully searching each room. More police arrived, including a van that appeared to be full of evidence collecting equipment. The police did not find anyone inside, and they must not have found any evidence either, because I did not see them take anything from the house. Eventually, they all dispersed. It was a surreal experience. They shut the broken door, but left all of the lights on, though it had previously been dark. I did speak to an officer before they left, as I was very curious by this time. He explained that they were looking for a man that was living there. They didn't divulge what he was wanted for, but did mention that he was dangerous and that he shouldn't be approached. I was instructed to call the police immediately should I see anyone at the house. By this time, I was thinking something along the lines of "holy s**t!". We eventually went back to bed, after a few lock checks.

This afternoon, I was visited by a TV reporter and two newspaper reporters, wanting to know if I knew anything about the person who lived across the street. As it turns out, he is the a suspect in a murder. Ironically enough, the landlord of the house across the street promised (before they moved in): "This time, we are going to find you some good neighbors!" Yeah, I think he'll have to try again on that one. But, hey, the next neighbors *have* to be better, right? Yikes!