Burned

Ever had one of those days. You know, a day you consider one of the best and worst days of your life. I have; and it was 6 years ago today.

I lived in my very first apartment after college in Oklahoma City and I was having the time of my life. Fun job, great friends and partying like a rockstar. I was after all, 24.

It was January, and in the new year a career opportunity had just opened using my degree. It wasn't ideal, so I took the weekend to think about accepting the position. It would be my first big-girl job and I didn't want to rush into anything.

Because it was a Sunday night, I took full advantage and decided to give myself a mini makeover. Deep conditioned my hair, masked my face and painted my nails. I relaxed on the couch of my apartment thinking of the acceptance phone call I would make in the morning and how exciting the new adventure would be.

That is when my neighbor, who lived below me, came home. Only a month before he replaced the crazy cat lady that lived quietly below me and every night since he had been gracing me with techo music so loud that rattled my floors at 10pm. Some nights, I would let it slip, thinking 'ah, we're young, who cares' and other nights it would be so loud for so long I would call the campus security to give him a ring. But tonight was different. I had a big day tomorrow and he was not only listening to his music, he was wailing and screaming too. I didn't hear anyone else in the house so I assumed he was on the phone. That is when I gave him a silent ultimatum. Either shut up or this time I am going to call the real police. You have 5 minutes to figure it out. Five minutes later, his music shut off and his front door slammed.

Looking back-giving him the benefit of the doubt so many times, was my first mistake. Five minutes makes a huge difference.

I laid my bathing suit out on the bed for water aerobics in the morning, slipped into my snowflake night pants and my tie-dyed shirt and nestled into my warm bed. It didn't take long before I was out.

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Suddenly, I woke up. Not alarmed but just as if someone had just shaken me. I looked at the glowing red alarm across the room reading 2:30am. I rubbed my eyes, looked around and thought about drifting back to the land of nod, when I looked at my window. I saw, what I thought to be cop lights flashing, but when I touched the window to wipe away the condensation, it was hot.

It was that very second my brain registered this was, indeed, a true emergency situation.

I was in flight mode.

My phone and purse were by my bed. I scooped them up and ran to my closet to grab a pair of shoes. Still in complete darkness, I dialed 9-1-1 and headed toward the only exit of my apartment, the front door. In a broken, half panic attack ridden voice I say, "My name is Tabatha, I live at XXXX, and I think my apartment is on fire. I just need to go outside to make certain." I got to the front door and flipped the light switch, frightened as to what I might see. As apartment had began to fill with smoke, I stood there in complete silence, looked at everything I owned, said a quick goodbye and ran out.

Still on the phone with emergency responders, I reached the back of my apartment where my bedroom window was, just in time to see the flames break the window and enter my room. I stood there speechless. A random neighbor, who I had never met before, came up to me and shook me hard to break the shock setting in. She said, "We have to help the others." We took off, door to door, getting people out of the apartments surrounding mine.

The firehouse was only around the block. Unfortunately, there was a 4 alarm fire at the same time, so it took the OKCFD longer to respond to my call than normal. I just watched as everything I had work so hard for, had gone up in flames. I called my family, the guy I was dating at the time and a couple of my closest friends. Jen was there in a heartbeat to help me with everyone and everything around me. The American Red Cross was there immediately to help, the firefighters would bring down smoldering items to see if I wanted to keep them and even that random woman who shook me earlier game me five bucks which Jen later made me use to buy a toothbrush.

I was so thankful and so crushed at the same time. All I could think was, how did this happen and I am so happy to be alive. That is when an investigator came over and declared was arson... my heart sank.

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Here is where the story turns into a Lifetime for Women movie.

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When my neighbor left earlier in the night, no one could have imagined what his intentions were. He had gone to Edmond, Oklahoma to his girlfriends place and beat the holy living crap out of her. Almost killed the poor girl. That is when he decided to throw himself from her second story apartment window. When he landed he was bloody and dazed, however, that didn't stop him from stealing her car. That is when he decided to come back home and kill himself. When he realized, nah, I don't want to die, he insisted on setting his apartment on fire. Not in one, but two different spots; his bed, just under mine and his couch in his living room. (Luckily, that one didn't take like the bed) He then slinked away to his next adventure.

That's right folks, he then took his bleeding self and robbed a 7-11 for nothing other than Tylenol. He jumped back into his stolen car and continued on a high speed chase through the city streets, ditched the car and continued on foot. A police helicopter followed him on infrared for a while until they lost him in the night.

The next morning, he awoke in the backyard of a random house where police are escorting him, to no other place but HOME. It was right after dawn and I am not sure the warrant had even been issued for his arrest yet.

As they arrived back at the scene of, well, one of the crimes, he was ID'd by security and taken into custody.

After a long drawn out trial, he is in prison.

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The back of the apartment where the flames entered my bedroom.

My dining room and kitchen. The FD brought my once white dresser out of my bedroom.

My old computer, scanner and desk. You can see where pictures were hanging above it.

My kitchen. The cabinets were falling off the wall.

Later, my BFF Lauren gave me the cross hanging over my sink that had made it through the fire

and wrapped it as a gift.

My bedroom where my bed was. There was not even a trace of the metal from the frame.

The plywood was a makeshift wall/window.

Although this story seems tragic it really is not. Yes, I lost irreplaceable items like my mothers wedding band, my baby blanket and every love letter I ever received, but I didn't lose my life. It is not a moment I dwell on, but a memory that helps me remember just how amazing life is. I truly believe my guardian angel woke me up that morning, especially finding out later my smoke detectors did not work.

I am here now, right where I am supposed to be, enjoying my life with the husband I met at the job I was so eager to accept that crazy morning - and we are expecting our first child.

I couldn't be more grateful for my faith and my life.