Two Blocks Away from Explosions

On being 2 blocks from the explosions:

Man, my manager sucks. I've been yelling "Free Sabra hummus" for about 5 hours straight now. Everyone took their breaks already, and the person who's supposed to relieve me is nowhere to be found. I hate the location - this is not where we should be standing if we want to give out free hummus samples. We should be near the finish line, we should be in the crowd.

BOOM. What was that? Maybe it was some kind of military salute. Those are pretty common at high profile events. Or maybe some staging fell, that wouldn't be out of the ordinary. BOOM. There's the second one, surely it's some kind of sound off from the military. Let's see how many they do. Timing's a little off, but I think I can hear some cheering off in the distance.

"What do you mean they've blocked off the roads and you can't get back?" Damn, if you're going to lie to extend your break you could have come up with a better one. "Gimme the stuff, I'm going to go down to the finish line during my break and see if I can unload some stuff and go home faster. I don't care if the manager doesn't approve, I'll take responsibility."

"Explosions ... finish line...""Fire ... trash can...""Hello? I can't hear... service isn't...""Where are you? Where is everyone?""Blood was...""The officers told ... get out..."

My heart dropped as I looked around. These people weren't cheering, they were panicking.

"We're quitting for the day. Some people don't feel safe working, and it wouldn't make sense to give out things during a panic." Well, damn. Way to quit halfway through my break.

On my way back to my car, there were confused people everywhere. Most of them weren't from Boston, they just wanted the chance to prove themselves in a reputable marathon. Groups were gathering around officers. Stores, pubs, and restaurants were all filled with people watching and listening. Waiting, for someone to tell them what to do - where to go. The streets were packed with people trying to access their phones and trying to locate loved ones.

When I got home that evening, I made sure to update my social media so people knew I was okay, and to look up additional details about the event. Okay...two exploded bombs...over a hundred people injured...live footage of explosion...city in panic...one inactive bomb near Copley...

...oh my god...it could have been me. It could have been me a hundred times over. I had every chance to relocate the giveaways to the finish line, to sign up for a different promotional at the finish line, to work during my break at the finish line...but for some reason, none of that lined up - and I was spared for another day. The difference in being two blocks away and twenty feet away.

I am thankful. Thankful not only because I lived, but because I didn't have to be THERE. I didn't have to see the explosion, the blood, the panic, the death. I am thankful I am not traumatized with  those images, those sounds, those feelings.

When I think about it in passing, a lot of people asked me where the finish line was...I wish I gave them the wrong directions.