I am now in the ER waiting for Brenda to get her nose checked. It feels good to be here, not needing to be a patient for once. Brenda and Bonny were babysitting for Paul and Kathy's kids, and Brenda went to the store and got punched in the nose. She called me from Kathy's, asking if I would go to the ER with her. Naturally, I said yes since she’s taken me here before. While I was waiting, Andy came over. At first, we both thought she had gone to buy drugs and had been robbed or beaten up. According to Brenda, though, she went out to get cigarettes for her and Bonny when a guy approached her, and she rolled down her window. I asked why, and she said she thought he might have been asking for directions. The guy insisted she buy drugs; she refused, and his girlfriend punched her in the nose. She also spat on her window, and as she tried to back out, her car stalled, and the girl threw a bottle at her windshield. The windshield wasn’t broken, but something spilled on it.

Brenda insists she wouldn’t lie to me, Gail, or Bonny and has mentioned that she does drugs. I was over earlier, and Gail was begging her to get high, and she refused. I don’t know why Brenda associates with people like Gail. Brenda says, “She’s got problems; you can’t push her away for that.” I said she could, especially if the girl is only out to hurt her and be a bad influence. Bonny agrees; Brenda’s friends will keep trying if she isn’t firm. It’s too bad Brenda’s wimpy and has this problem, because she’s such a good person. She deserves better and deserves to be better.

Later...

Earlier, I was all set to go to bed, but now I’m wide awake. I’ve had plenty of cigarettes, and I pray I don’t wake up sick.

While listening to music, a strange feeling came over me. I remembered the fire we had here a little over a year ago. Then, as I took off my headphones, I heard yelling and sirens. At first, I thought it was a drug bust, but I looked out the window and saw tons of fire trucks and smoke coming from a fourth-floor window. Firemen were on a huge ladder with hoses. It’s one of the major crack buildings on Locust St. near the Red Lion Café. I hope no kids or innocent people were hurt. I don’t think anyone was, and hopefully the building was evacuated. One less crack house on the street.

I’m going to try to get some sleep now. I want to be up by 5:00 or 6:00, so I have time to wake up, eat, and shower. Andy may come over, but I told him to call first; he'd better, because at 9:00 I’ll be watching a movie while taping another, and I can’t tape both at once.

Oh, one more thing: Kevin H got a subpoena today to appear in court on charges of annoying phone calls. That’s the name this phone is now using—Andy’s idea, choosing a name from one of the characters of Twin Peaks.