One of the strangest nights of my life...

This is a long post. But a good novel. So, be warned--but read on. :o)

So, I am exhausted. I have not been sleeping so well for almost two weeks now (not sure why, exactly), and was very much looking forward to a night of unbroken rest last night. Especially as this is our only two-show weekend of Wizard of Oz, and it is a pretty tough event to perform in. Our call is at 8:30 in the morning, which means a 7am departure for me to get there on time, and we run stuff until 11 when we are sent to lunch. Lunch is provided, but the principals all do a line-thru while we eat, so it isn't really much of a break. Then at 12 we are called, and get into costume, makeup, etc. Show starts at 1, goes till about 3:45 or so. Then we get out of everything and turn in our costumes, etc. By the time I get home, it is 5:30 or so--a 10 1/2 hour day, usually, instead of 4 1/2 for a regular show.

I turn in around 11 or so, and am looking forward to seven hours straight (which I hasten to add I haven't seen in a while). My phone goes off while it is still dark. I assume, in my REM sleep, that it is my alarm, so I open it to shut it off. I press the button, and stare at the screen quizzically as I realize that something is wrong. There is a number on the screen--or was, until I started pressing stuff--and not the "snooze/dismiss" selections I usually get. As I am staring at it and marshalling some awareness out of my drowsiness, it rings again. This time, I press "ignore", as I don't recognize the number.

I then shut the phone, which is when I realize it is 2:18am. Who, you may ask, calls at that hour? I asked myself the same thing. I didn't recognize the number, and I don't usually pick up unless I have the number stored. But then it rang again, and I thought, 'ya know, even if it's for someone else, it's probably an emergency--who calls at 2 in the morning and won't leave a message?' Good thing I picked up.

It was the local police station, and they said, "we are evacuating your neighborhood because of an incident nearby. You need to leave your house at once." I expressed my puzzlement, and my disbelief must have carried through my voice, because she eventually said, "would you like us to send an officer over?" I said yes, because part of me didn't believe that it was real--I was so tired, I was convinced it was some friend of mine playing a joke, and I just was missing who it was.

I did, however, start to get dressed. Better safe than sorry. I don't ever want to be that person on the news who says, 'I thought...' when I should have just done.

The phone rang again, and it was the dispatcher telling me that all the officers were already at the scene, none could be spared, blah, and I was now the last person in the neighborhood, and PLEASE leave my house RIGHT NOW. I got myself together and left, driving two blocks to my local strip mall/supermarket/Starbucks parking lot and dropping back to sleep. I set my alarm for 3am, hoping to go back home and get back in my comfy bed, but alas--my story does not end there.

At 3am, blinding lights filled up the cab of the truck. Two sheriff deputies were parked in such a way that I could not have escaped if I tried. One of them had his hand on his gun as he walked slowly toward my truck. I rolled down my window and said something witty like, "Can I go home now?" He just looked at me. "I was just evacuated from my house, and this is the only place I could think to go." They nodded and left me alone.

I called the RoPo police, and asked if I could go home. They said not yet. I asked if I should get my dog, as I had left her there (thinking it was just a quick thing) and they answered that pets were not a concern--they were trying to keep people away from the windows. (What the hell? I thought. That suggests something concussive, like a bomb.) As I sat in the parking lot, I then watched two unmarked box trucks go by--one looked like a SWAT team truck, and one looked like a bomb squad truck I had seen my Sheriff's Deputy friend driving once. They were followed closely by one of those huge RV-style traveling command posts. Okay, I thought--there go my hopes of this being wrapped up quickly.

I dragged myself to a friend's house and crashed there until about 6am, when I called the police again to see if I could go home. They said no. And said no again when I called at 6:30 and at 7 to ask could I please just get my stuff. I have to leave for my job, I said. They said, we understand, but you can't return just yet. At 7:10 I called my stage manager and said, "I should have left ten minutes ago to make the call time, but I am not even in my house." I then relayed the story to her voicemail.

At 7:30 I decided screw this, I'm going home. I drove over to my house, and snuck in. Got my stuff for the show, got my dog, grabbed a couple other things and scampered out. I still haven't found out exactly what was going on, but I know it was right around the corner. I am assuming it will make tomorrow's paper.

I got to the show at 9am, rehearsal already in progress, so I had to jump in with both feet and did not get any sort of break. Got home to find the boys already there, so I still haven't had a break. Going to bed soon. Keep your fingers crossed for tomorrow.