STORIES BY SCOTT SEPANEK
T.J. Mexico
Well, let’s see. I grew up in the cornfields of Indiana. From about 13 years old I saw a picture of a Marine in his dress blues uniform. I knew then it was me. That’s what I wanted to do. My parents totally hated the idea. But I suppose you could say I had somewhat a romantic idea of life. I’ve always had a “free bird” spirit. I clashed a lot at home. It was a good home but with very liberal leaning. I’ve always been a conservative you could say. Anyhow, 2 days after high school graduation I was off to bootcamp in San Diego. Spent a career in the Marines. Travelled the world. Spent many years off & on in California & loved going to the beaches & classy gyms to see all my friends, but here a few years ago the Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsome turned the once beautiful gorgeous state into basically a lockdown prison grid that was horrible long story short. It broke my heart. I bolted California for Indiana, but 3 years ago got tired of the cold. I’ve always had an urge to come out here to Texas. They treat us vets good too. I settled here in New Braunfels & never regretted a minute of it. My grandad even told me a story when I was a kid that he came here to Texas to be a cowboy & got shot once. But my grandad was like that. Maybe he had some tall stories but to me the guy was cool. Very cool. But in a nutshell, I’m a romantic at heart. Not so much in the physical sense but in the sense where you can dream, never give up in life, believe in God & your neighbor, let your word be true & most importantly to me, life is like poetry in motion and only by grace of God; I’m still here to tell it like it is :)
That’s my story.
Just a time traveler…
There was a time back in 2004 or so, I was living in TJ helping build some houses for the poor. I was looking for a Christian bookstore. Walking a lot. I lived where you don’t want to live. I was crossing a intersection when I saw out the corner of my eye a big white station wagon barreling around the corner. I said to myself it’s gonna stop, it’s gonna stop. Then like slow motion it hit me. BAM. I went flying through the air. Landed on the sidewalk. The car went speeding down the street. Never stopped. Planned hit.
I was in an excruciating wall of pain. Saw every planet in the universe. Reality was now on a pin head. Tried not to go into shock. One half second later would’ve been under the vehicle. People started to gather around waiting to see if the gringo was going to croak.
Right then a guy rolls a shopping cart up to me & throws a red flannel shirt over my upper torso & starts to pad me down. I had in my shirt pocket one of those plastic electronic Bibles you got over at Radio Shack. I told him dámelo pa’ tras ladrón (give it back thief). He said he didn’t have it over & over again lying through his teeth until he finally gave it back.
The crowd by that time probably disappointed the gringo wasn’t going to croak started to disperse and a gentleman walks up to me saying in Spanish he’s looking for a job in construction & could I give him some work. Let’s see, I almost got killed, got robbed, probably had at least a simple if not compound fracture to my one legs & this guy’s asking me for a job. I’m thinking – what is this, the Twilight Zone?
Then, I hear this otherworldly “voice” that says “pray for him; do it now”. I said “sure” thinking what do I have to lose…
After praying in Spanish, I gave him a few bucks & that was it. He smiled & left. I was alone. No one else was around. It was weird, surreal. Lonely. And I still had a mountain of pain. Didn’t want to look down. Tried to walk. Hurt big time. Thought to myself that the military training in the Corps did some good that day. Didn’t go into shock.
Started walking up that garbage infested street in Tijuana Mexico thinking it could have all ended right there. Could have died a stranger in a strange world. Now that would have been fitting. I was still in a wall of pain…
Then I hear that otherworldly “voice” again that says “just remember, “you’re a spiritual being having a human experience.” I continue to walk up that street in TJ and ponder that message. I ponder that message for a couple of minutes, look up & ask “ok God but, why does it have to hurt so much?”
I don’t know for sure but, I think I heard God laugh.
Right at that moment, ALL my pain was gone. Completely, absolutely 100% gone.
S.