ATTACK

It was twilight Friday, December 16, 2005.

Christmas tree had presents wrapped under it:
one was for daughter due to visit Christmas week.
It was pepper spray protection kit.
She soloed for work travel.
I had encouraged her to take self-defense class from woman police officer
as I once did.

It was her birth in 1968 that had prompted me to start ARC, a nonprofit: spiritual avocation of seeing what I, one person -
strictly by self-labor and Samaritan tax-deductible donations,
could do for God/country without government, grant funding.

As it turned out, quite a lot. Twenty years devoted to children, educational outreach, complimentary seminars/publications, mentoring.

And then, 1990: huge transformation from little ones to big ones:
homeless and recovery.

As my 65th approached felt divine compulsion: put affairs in order:
I listened: assigned equity paid home to nonprofit legacy trust for children, will drawn up, Neptune cremation plan bought. Suddenly opportunity arose to open new shelter back East in birth state. So nonprofit borrowed from children‘s estate‘ - heigh-ho, heigh-ho, off I go with volunteer Kimosabe.

I had done thorough research: need was great.
Networking comprehensive by phone, letter, email…brochure explicit: referrals please - first week free…no violent history nor moral turpitude…
I was alone/no vehicle.

In operation November; early December friend returned to visit, driving me to visit connections. Two men in the home; then anxious call came for third: white male, 23, Catholic roots. His grandfather and social worker escorted him. I `felt something’ - dismissed it.

Three days later, Dec. 16th, he, the other two and friend in back yard burning trash. I’m in bedroom, off the kitchen, reading. I hear noise.

I went to kitchen, saw him behind the counter with head down…
he looked up…instant shock…ice coursing through me…Manson serpent eyes sucking my breath. He slithered towards me with knife shanks in both hands. The whispered howling scream was knowingly unheard; arms up as the knives slashed to the hiss of his mocking taunting voice. I am backing up - surreal slow motion - traumatized fear consuming every sinew of my being. Suddenly, cell phone blastopores in mind; I turn, am close, grab, touch, trip, fall…like a little girl hiding under bed from horrible bogyman, shut my eyes…felt knife pierce right eye unleashing fiercest pain ever experienced accompanied to unbelievable surprise thought that revivifies daily over and over like a stuck loop…I’m going to die; I’m going to die!

In coma two months…multi spiritual experiences…learned attacker had followed one of the others into upstairs bedroom; pounced with knives.

He got away calling for my friend who rushed and rescued me. Convinced emergency room doctors when they said I couldn’t be saved to go back in: he promised God 20 years of his life to give to me. And then when they came again and uttered they had to take my arms, he responded they couldn’t: I was a writer and Sicilian - talked and wrote with them.

When he and children were told recovery very tenuous,
they best line up convalescent home. They replied - you don’t know her.

The attacker got 15 years (maximum allotted) for two counts of attempted murder. Social worker knew he was violent; had attacked father and grandfather the day before they brought him to home.

When asked why, Mary? he responded: my father is Satan, you know.

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