RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

It was a sunny summer afternoon in 1977.  Nancy had just graduated high school and was looking forward to college as she sun bathed on the front porch of her home.  Before leaving for work, her mother told her to wait for me to arrive to tune their piano. Not an exciting afternoon for Nancy, but, at least she could work on her tan while keeping an eye out for me. As I turned onto the street I noticed a car about a hundred feet ahead of me pull up to the curb. The middle aged driver tooted his horn at Nancy.  Since she recognised the driver, one of her former high school teachers, she sprinted across the lawn to say hello. It was then I noticed the driver swing open the passenger side door and demand Nancy get into the front seat.  His demand was backed up by a hand gun squarely pointed at Nancy's pretty blond head. Visibly shaken, she reluctantly got into the car and the teacher slowly drove away form the house, still holding his gun on Nancy.  I decided to follow his car at a respectable distance behind. I was stunned and, of course, had no plan in particular.

 It was fortunate that I had one of the early mobile telephones which allowed me to call 911 from my car.  I was connected with a police dispatcher and as I continued to report the position of the abductor's vehicle to her, she relayed the information to the officers on the street.  Eventually the abductor stopped for a red traffic signal and, as if they appeared out of thin air, officers with weapons drawn surrounded the car.  The wayward teacher surrendered without a struggle.  Nancy, still clad in just her swim suit, was handed a blanket and was whisked off to police headquarters to give her account of the incident.

In the end it turned out that, despite the fact that the teacher was a husband and father, he had developed a Lolita type obsession focused on Nancy.  His intention was to abduct Nancy and for the two of them to go away together and live happily ever after.  He was banned from ever teaching again and sent off to a mental institution.  Nancy went off to college and as far as I know was largely unaffected by the unfortunate event. She recently became a grandmother.  Since the incident happened before the days of the Internet and social media it was reported by the local newspaper and a short blip on the evening news.  I was briefly referred to as a hero, but, I never saw things that way.  I was never at any personal risk and was not the one who rescued Nancy.  I was simply at the right place at the right time.

NOTE:  Nancy was not the abducted girls actual name and the photo that accompanies this article is a professional model.