It's been cold (for South Texas) and dreary the past couple of weeks, so I'm delighted that the sun has been out for two days. I met my very good friend, Janna, for lunch today at a new restaurant that is located on the Corpus Christi bayfront.
Citrus Bayfront Bistro is located inside the Art Center of Corpus Christi. They serve soups, salads, and sandwiches. I had a cup of Savory Chicken Soup and half of a ham and cheese sandwich. Janna had the daily special which was a brisket sandwich with homemade barbecue sauce. The chicken soup was remarkably good, maybe the best I've had in a restaurant. It featured a clear chicken broth with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, green beans, and shredded chicken. The sandwich was served on a very good bolillo roll with homemade mayonnaise. Half of the sandwich was a lot. I couldn't eat all of it. Janna said that her brisket sandwich, also served on a bolillo, was good, but she would have liked it better if the brisket had been leaner.
We sat and chatted for quite a while and then moved to the parking lot. It was such a pretty day, we both pulled out our phones and snapped a photo. Look at that blue sky. Yes, it really was that blue. The temperature was about 65 degrees and there was a very light breeze. All in all, the perfect winter day in South Texas. Our local weather man calls this "chamber of commerce weather."
We just kept talking right there in the parking lot. Pretty soon, we started to hear some raised voices, but we couldn't really see where they were coming from. We kept talking and the voices got louder and louder. We walked a few steps back toward the building and we could see that there was a domestic altercation going on at a parked car right across the street. We stood there and watched and listened for a few minutes and noticed that the yelling turned to pushing and shoving. When we saw it get physical, we decided that it was time to call 911. Janna made the call while I kept watching. I must say, the dispatcher didn't seem to be able to understand our location, but did eventually get that we were in the parking light of the Art Center.
Shortly after the 911 call was concluded, the woman from the car walked toward us and we told her that we had called the police. We introduced ourselves to her and she gave us her name. We stood talking to her while we waited for the police to arrive. While we waited, the guy she had been with approached the three of us. When he got within about ten feet, Janna told him that he needed to stop right where he was and not come any closer. He began to shout obscenities and berate the woman, saying that she made him behave that way.
We did not confront him, except to stand between the two of them. We talked with her until the police arrived. She told us that she had been breaking up with him for the third time. She also said that they had been to counseling and he was trying to get help. We told her several times that she could do better and that she should not be with a man who treated her that way. We also told her about our local women's shelter and encouraged her to do whatever she needed to do to get away from him permanently.
When the police arrived, the first thing they did was take him a few feet away and talk with him separately. After a few minutes a second officer arrived and talked with her. He asked us a couple of questions and then told us we could go. Before we left, he asked her if she wanted to press charges. We were disappointed when she said no.
I've got to admit, I felt a little bit like I was on the television show "What Would You Do." I halfway expected John Quinones to come walking out with a camera crew behind him.
In the long run, I was very proud of us for intervening. I do not usually get involved. Honestly, I probably would have called 911, but I probably would not have stayed there if I had been alone. I'm a big chicken that way. But, Janna is a stand-up kind of girl. She did not hesitate to get involved. In her words "I DID something about it today! Did you?"
