911

I'm a hero to high school girls.

No, really. About thirty minutes ago, I did the chivalrous thing and walked a couple of very thankful high school girls back to their car after a bit of an incident at Caruth Park. It wasn't much, but they made it seem liked I'd saved their lives or something. And that was kinda cool.

But let me start at the beginning. I was over at Caruth Park playing tennis with my friend Beth. We decided to wait until nightfall to play because it would be too hot when the Sun was out. It was still 95 degrees at 8pm, but we were able to play for about an hour without completely dying.

To start, there was this car that pulled up to the courts, and no one ever got out. They sat there for a good 20 minutes, thought about leaving, stayed a bit longer, and eventually drove off. That was weird, but it wasn't a huge deal.

Then said high school girls show up to play on the court beside us. And we're playing for a few minutes when a couple of guys sprint beside the court, behind the court, and into a little alleyway. It didn't seem entirely unusual - it did seem like one kid was chasing the other, but he had to have seen the four of us on the courts, and he made no plea for help. A couple minutes later, we heard some ruckus from the alleyway.

And then the lights went out at the park. It was about 9:15, and we tried to turn them back on to no avail. But as we were waiting to see if they'd come on again, there was more noise from the alley. It was obviously some kind of argument/fight between one kid and another, but we didn't hear anything from either of them.

So the girls were scared - it was dark, these two boys were fighting, and no one was around but myself and Beth. They stood by us for a second waiting to see what we'd do, and I asked if they wanted me to walk them back to their cars. They quickly accepted and thanked me for my kindness. It really wasn't anything...the car was simply outside the cage of the tennis court, in complete sight the entire time, and only a few yards away. No big deal.

But it was also kinda cool to be the guy and take charge and take that heroic role - I realize I didn't do anything, but it was still kinda cool.

So they drove off safely, and I went back to the court. I wasn't really sure what to do. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go over there (I couldn't see it from the court...and with the lights off, it was very dark over there) or just call the police. Considering I'm not really a fighter (and the fact that Beth was with me), I decided to just call 911 and have them send a car by. It was in University Park, and they could probably spare someone for a few minutes.

But as soon as I start calling, one of the guys runs out of the darkness towards us. We're still inside the cage of the court, and I hang up the phone. He tells us that a guy he knows tried to take his wallet. I ask if he needs us to call anyone, and he tells us that he doesn't.

So the Dallas 911 office calls me back because I dialed 911 and hung up. I tell them that I thought we needed help but that we didn't - after all, the apparent victim was standing in front of me, seemingly no worse for wear, and he wasn't asking for help.

He thanked me for not involving the police, and he called a friend who picked him up almost immediately. And so we left, and everything seemed to be fine.

But things were definitely strange:

1. I never saw the second kid after they sprinted passed the courts. He didn't chase after the kid when he came to the courts, and I didn't see him going anywhere else. As far as I know, he's still there.

2. Honestly, I don't know if the kid that came out of the area was the victim or not. I didn't recognize their voices, and I can't really remember if he was the one chasing or being chased. He seemed scared, but it might've been because he'd just jumped another kid.

3. The whole "don't call the cops" thing is always worrisome. He was really ambiguous on whether or not the other guy was a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger. He implied all three in the two minutes we talked to him. If it was just a harmless fight between the two of them, I can see not wanting to involve the police. But he also escaped pretty quickly - which would make sense for either kid.

4. The whole thing took way too long for the kid's story to make sense. He said that the one kid tried to steal the other kid's wallet. The one kid ended up taking it and wouldn't give it back. The "victim" was able to fight off his attacker and put him in a choke hold, and then he ran off to us.

But here's the thing. The whole thing easily took 5-10 minutes. We saw them sprinting...played a bit more tennis...heard the commotion...played a bit more...then the lights went off...we checked on the lights...talked about it for a minute...I walked the girls back to their car...walked back to the court...talked to Beth about calling the police...and then tried calling them before the one kid emerged.

That doesn't sound like the kind of scuffle that we heard. That being said, I also have no idea what kind of scuffle it sounded like. The kid we saw was wearing an "HP Wresting" shirt, and seemed to be able to take care of himself. He didn't seem hurt - I saw no blood or bruising or redness, and we didn't hear anything resembling a fistfight.

But I still wonder if I should've asked more questions, checked out the scene myself, or told the police about it. But then I think about it, and I'm not sure. I could've asked more questions, but if he was lying, he would've continued to lie. I could've gone and checked it out, but it was dark and I had no idea what situation I was entering into. One of the kids could've had some kind of weapon, and it would've been difficult to fight them off if I walked in unprepared. And I could've told the police, but the one kid was just about to run off...and it wasn't like I knew anything anyway.

And I realized I'd never called 911 before - I grew up in the Park Cities, and it's never been necessary. And like those two high school girls, I expected the park to be safe...no matter what time of day it is.

I'm lucky to have lived in a place with that kind of security - where you can feel totally safe no matter what. But when something happens, it really throws you off balance.

But I think everyone ended up okay. The one kid who's unaccounted for is the alleged attacker, and I assume he's okay (unless the wrestling kid choked him to death...which I suppose is possible). It was a strange end to the night, but it's definitely something interesting to think and/or talk about.