I had received a call from Major Winters, the ARC Administrator telling me to stay in my office until he called me to tell me it was safe to come out. Jimmy, an ex-boxer who was described as being punch drunk * had come back to the center with a gun and was threatening to kill my husband Gene. My office was straight down the hall from the door that entered the building from the patio and Major said Jimmy was out there. I was not to go out into the hall in case he got into the building. Major said,” Stay in your office he might try to get you to get Gene to come out.”

With that, I continued to work, and was on the phone on hold with Ben Taub, trying to get a medical appointment for one of the men in the program. At times, I could be on hold for up to 2-3 hours. If I hung up I would lose my place in line.

Leola, a good friend and counselor on my staff kept running back and forth from her office to mine shouting; “Don’t you care? What are you going to do? Jimmy is after Gene with a gun! He says he’s going to kill Gene” Each time I would say “There isn’t anything I can do I don’t want to go out there and maybe get shot. Also, I’m on hold with Ben Taub.”

At the time Leola reminded me of the Alarm Clock in the 1969’s children’s series, H.R. Pufnstuf, anytime Witchiepoo was nearby or some other disaster was at hand…. he would come onto the scene yelling “Alarm, Alarm, Alarm.” I couldn’t help but giggle to myself even in the midst of danger.

Eventually Jimmy left, a few days later; he called Gene and said “I really screwed up didn’t I? I’m sorry.” He had gotten back into reality and realized that he had threatened one of the few people who truly loved and cared about him. We never heard from Jimmy again, and I have often wondered about what his circumstances were like after that.

Here was another Fallible Human Being who would leave a mark on me and my future. Don’t we all know a Jimmy? Someone we love and care about and they suddenly turn on us. Who is the Jimmy in your life? Write us and tell us about him/her.

* suffering from cerebral injury usually resulting from minute brain hemorrhages caused by repeated head blows received in boxing and marked especially by mental confusion, incoordination, and slurred speech.