I got up this morning with the intention of making a trek down to Yost Hall on the Case Quad so that I could check my final exam grade for Math 380 (Probability). I had gone to bed last night with hopes that I could pull straight A's this semester. Math 380 was going to be one of my borderline A/B classes so I was pretty anxious to know my grade on the final. I left my dorm room at around noon to go check my grade. Given that it is a Saturday, I wasn't even sure that Yost was going to be open, but I figured that I could use the walk anyway.
I got to Yost and found the building was indeed open. I made my way over to the Math department and found the paper with final grades posted on it outside my professor's office door. Last four digits of my social security number...grade = B. Dammit. Another chance gets away.
Pretty disappointed, I started making the short walk back to my dorm, my mind swimming with thoughts about how just once I would like one of my borderline grades to end up on the positive side of the fence. Ah well, could be worse. There's always next semester, and next year...
I was almost home, at the traffic light at the intersection of Adelbert and Murray Hill, right across from the South Side dorms. I was waiting for the light to turn red so that I could cross when this woman started approaching me. She said what I think to have been, "Excuse me sir, what did you say about that bible?" I didn't really hear what she said. She looked homeless, dressed in worn clothes, and missing quite a few teeth. "Excuse me?" I answered, politely. Funnily enough, I thought that she might be offering me a bible, since in the past some churches in the area had sponsored random people to give out small bibles for free. If not that then I thought that perhaps she just wanted to ask me for some money...
She approached closer, "What'd you say?!" in a harsh voice. "I didn't say anything," I replied, and I didn't think that I had. She then reached her hand into her pocket and made like she had a gun inside her coat. She pointed it at me, and then held it right to my head (still through her coat). I just stood there, shocked, for the moment. She held it there for a second, then tapped me on the head lightly and walked away.
I quickly crossed the street. It wasn't until I got to the other side that the realization of what had just happened hit me. I could have just had a gun held to my head! My life could have been over now with the flick of a finger. What am I supposed to think about that?
Thinking back, I'm pretty sure that she didn't actually have a gun. When she tapped me on the head, I didn't feel anything hard underneath her coat, but what the hell was that bizarre situation all about, anyway!?
What a morning. Made me forget my B in Probability.