Sicko
July 23, I performed at the Saratoga Jazz Festival for Somi. Besides playing the piano, I had to drive all the band members and I had to return the rental van to the Budget, a rental car company, in Queens.
It was about past 10pm, I was heading to 125th on Lenox avenue to make a right turn and take a triboro bridge. I was stuck in traffic at 124th street on Lenox. There were lots of people around that area. It was a hot Saturday night. I thought they had a block party or something.
Then I heard some sound somewhere near. It sounded like a fire cracker. A 10 seconds later, I heard another one.
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang.
It didn't take me a second to figure out this was not a fire cracker.People screamed and ran away. Some people ducked themselves.
S-C-A-R-Y !
I have never experienced this kind of horrors. I . a Tokyo -born pianist, have never been taught in school how to protect myself from random shooting. But I just took off my seatbelt and tried to hide myself under the driving wheel. I stayed there about 10 minutes. Many police cars came pass my van. Cops rushed to the scene holding guns in their hands.
After I came home without any injury or any damage on my rental van, I checked the news that told 6 people got shot that night within hours.It was good that nothing was mentioned about a Japanese pianist was about to wet his pants inside the van.
(Pause)
I may be living in the USA too long. (12 years!) I started to see the dark side of America. The book, Notes and Tones, told me something about racism. The shooting I experienced above told me something about guns are all over the place. Then I saw the movie, Sicko, yeasterday. It told me something about people here have to be super rich unless you're OK to lose your fingers.
S-C-A-R-Y!
Bowling for Columbine has not stopped that shooting in Harlem I saw. Fahrenheit 9/11 has not stopped Iraq war. So it seems this new movie will not change USA health insurance system but I just hope things will be better. I just don't want to lose my fingers as a pianist.
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