Strange Event in our Neighborhood - Man in burning car - and more

  Was reading Bel Canto up in my bedroom when I heard sirens.

There's always sirens, I said to myself.

But not as many as now!

This was traumatic to our neighborhood.

Was just visiting my neighbor Nancy across the street, who gave me a report of what had happened.

Her daughter Linda saw flames leaping out of a car parked in front of the Kiernans' house.

A red car.

She called 911 and they quickly arrived.

The Upper Moreland police officers wanted to talk to Linda, since she was the one who called.

In the car was Patrick's brother!

(I knew Pat came from a big family but wondered who this brother was.)

The brother was removed from the burning car and taken via ambulance to the nearest hospital, probly Abington Memorial Hospital.

When I was talking to Nancy I told her a host of images came to me, including Buddhist monks immolating themselves to protest the Vietnam War.

I looked outside my bedroom window and saw the gathering of the police cars and finally the noise of the fire engine coming up my street, Cowbell Road.



And here they came - everyone and their brother and sister marching up to see what was going on, including my boyfriend Scott who said he was just finishing up his exercises.

Then I saw Officer Davidio, who chastised me at the Upper Moreland Library for leaving my car door open while I dashed into the library.

He looked at my car in the drive - with my windows open - and I told him I was going out shortly.

When I did finally go out, there were a dozen crisp dead bugs - yuck! - on the cushion on my seat.

We gathered around a woman in a nice grey car who was wearing a revolver - a revolver - in a holster. She said she was a detective.

Mommy! I wanna be a detective when I grow up!

It would take days or weeks or longer, she said, to find out what happened to the car.

As mentioned, the brother is in the hospital. The Kiernans' house is locked up tight.

I asked Nancy if I might sit out on her porch bench to continue reading Bel Canto. Sure, she said.

I have until Thursday at 2:30 pm to finish it for our Reading Group at the Upper Moreland Library.

Finally I drove to the Giant to get out of the chaos of the neighborhood. Ordered some of Helen's delicious Chinese food - Brown Rice with Veggies - and drank it with a sweet iced black coffee.

Next thing I knew I saw Elaine Klawans there. She was waiting for one of the employees to bring her some brown paper bags.

After all, Giant proclaims they wanna get rid of all plastic bags in a couple of years.



Here's Elaine and husband Alan at a Democratic rally several years ago. "Kathleen Kane" says Alan's sticker. She was finally incarcerated.

What? A politician?

I have one of Alan's postcard invitations on my fridge, subtitled The Barnes Museum of Postcards.

Yes, Marcy, you are on there.

So, I'm sitting there reading Bel Canto at the Giant and I get an idea of a short story to write.

Ya think I have any pens in my back pack?

A fellow, Tony, is sitting reading the newspaper.

Sir, I yell, cupping my mouth. Dyou have a pen I can borrow?

No, he says.

I say, I'm too lazy to get up.

We're in the coffee shop and he gets up and asks one of the baristas for a pen.

Hands me the black Bic and I make some notes about stories to write. The first note says, "It's good to be in love."

Then I give it back to the barista.

Sitting with Nancy on the bench outside her house, the evening air was delightful. So many neighbors passed by.

Who were they all?

And such lovely dogs.

When I first stopped over her house, Kalie, the little white dog was barking at me as if I were the neighborhood burglar.

Nancy said she'd be out after she watched Jeopardy.

I actually knew what would happen since I read it in the NY Times.



The big winner lost.