“Paige, they need you to go down to the office,” said my teacher. There was an eerie tone in her voice. I was never known to get into trouble, so I knew something was wrong. It got even more confusing when the secretary said my mom was on the phone. I knew this was serious. Did something happen to my family? Oh Lord, please don’t let it be Dad. I picked up the phone; I was barely breathing and my hands were shaking. “Honey, I just wanted to let you know that there was a bank robbery today and your dad was involved in the car chase that followed. All I know as of right now is that he is doing okay, but that shots were fired at his squad.”

My dad has been a police officer for over 25 years. Every day of my life, I have lived with the gut wrenching thought that something could happen to him. I have always been close to my dad, and I do not know what I would do if he was ever taken away from me. I am so proud of his job, but I must admit it would be easier if he had a normal “suit and tie” job. On April 28, 2006, my dad got the call to go to a bank robbery. The robbery turned into a car chase. My dad was exceeding speeds of 80 miles per hour to keep up with the robber. Over the radio, a fellow police officer was yelling at my dad warning him the robber was rolling down his window and pointing a gun towards my dad’s squad. Three shots were fired. Those three bullets could have hit my dad. All I had to hear was that my dad was involved in a shooting, and I was imagining his funeral. I thought the day would never end.
My mom, brother, and I sat at home waiting for my dad to walk through the door. The second he did, I rushed up to him and gave him the biggest hug in the world.
It is times like these when you realize it does not matter if you are in the “popular” crowd at school or how your hair looked at Homecoming. Life is about sharing it with the ones you love. What is the point of life if you do not have your friends and family? This experience brought me tears, but has also taught me a lesson. I have learned to live my life to the fullest and never to take anyone or anything for granted.