911 Call

Oy vey... 

I had Dayton's 6 year old buddy and his mom, sister and sister's boyfriend come over for supper.  Glen made us all his famous chili, and for those of you that love his chili, the 'secret ingredient' he won't tell anyone is half a gallon of ketchup.  Yes Glen, I'm sorry, but the truth must be told!  Sometimes he even puts a carton of molasses in it.  Everyone eating it walks away from the table feeling bloated, flatulent and suffer from heartburn.  Fortunately my guests loved it (with the exception of Dayton and I), even having seconds. 

While the adults go outside for 'adult conversation,' the boys play their hearts out.  Pretty soon, Dayton's little buddy complains that Dayton is using his toy cell phone to call 911 because he's not playing how Dayton wants him to play.  I explain that it's only a toy, and he can't possibly reach anyone through it.  Dayton must have heard me... 

Minutes later, Dayton's little buddy says that Dayton is using the real phone to call 911.  Glen hollers at Dayton to bring the phone to him, forgetting I have 3 cordless phones in my home.  Ooooops.  Thinking no more of the situation, we continue enjoying the adult company.  Our guests leave us shortly after 9pm. 

At 10:30pm, we hear a knock on the door.  I open the door to a pair of police officers who ask me if I'm OK.  They had received a 911 call over a domestic dispute?!  O.M.G.  I quickly call for Dayton to get out of bed and meet the concerned police officers...

Dayton sees the police standing at the door, and looks scared.  Good!  He should be scared...  I'm furious...  Quick thinking, not possible since I'm stoned on Tylenol 3's trying to battle the pain of these cursed kidney stones...  I'm praying the police officers don't realize I'm under the influence and ask me if I'd been drinking...

"Dayton, did you call the police?"
"No, I called 911."
Police officer number 1:  "Why did you call 911?"  And I know the answer to this, as you just can't ask Dayton 'why.'
"I don't know."
Me:  "Dayton has autism, I'm sorry, let me try to ask.  Dayton, what happened for you to call 911?"
"He (referring to his friend) broke the rules of the game.  He broke the 'law.'"  Oh my dear Lord...
Police officer 2:  "Dayton, do you know that calling 911 when there's no emergency is against the law?"
"But it was an emergency."  Ugh!!!

Finally, my brain kicks in and I think of Dayton's obsession with guns...  I tell the officer of the incident of the BB gun, where he took his buddy's BB gun and shot his little buddy just above the eye.  I ask the officers to talk to Dayton about the dangers of guns.

Police officer 1:  "Dayton, guns are very, very dangerous.  If you were standing at the end of the hallway with a toy gun, and I walked in this home, I wouldn't know if it was a real gun or a toy gun, and I would have to draw my gun out and point it at you.  I would scream for you to drop your gun, and if you chose not to, I might have to use my gun."
"Have you shot anyone with your gun?"  The police officer has Dayton's full attention.
"Yes, I've had to use my gun, and it never ends well Dayton.  Guns can kill people.  They're not like video games where you have a second chance.  Getting shot is very painful, and the person getting shot does not get back up on his feet."

The officer further explains how if he was just a little older, he could have gone to 'juvenile detention' over the BB incident, which he explains is kind of like jail.  Kids are removed from their homes and their parents may only be allowed to come and visit them for an hour a week.  He stressed to Dayton that BB guns are dangerous too, and should not be pointed at people, even if you don't think the BB gun is loaded.  These guns are dangerous and shooting someone with it is an offense. 

Police officer 2:  "You wouldn't want to not be able to see your mom every day, would you Dayton?"
"No, I guess not."
"Then you have to be more responsible, and take this gun business very, very seriously.  I don't want to have to come pick you up and take you away."

I hope some of this sunk in for Dayton.  In the mean time, just to be certain, I've hidden all my cordless phones, while stoned on Tylenol 3's...  This means I can't find the blasted things.  So if you call, please be patient.  I may not find the phone right away. 


Consider yourselves hugged,

Lou