Tales From My Past - Almost Shot

It was hot in the sun, I remember that much, cool in the shade one particular Friday afternoon during my second semester at the University of Texas. I was eighteen and thought I knew it all. I judge it one of the better days of my life, in that I was moments away from being shot and yet I escaped without being harmed. Or even without realizing the danger I was in until later.
   For some reason I was on campus studying on a Friday. Probably because I'm a nerd and it never occurred to me that Friday afternoons for college students are about ramping up for the weekend's binge drinking and other dangerous excesses.
   In any event, I was headed back to the dorms - Jester Center, room 54, if you must know, the ground floor – and decided to wander past the Student Union. Going down the alley between the Union and the UGL I saw a big ol' limo parked right outside the doors. While this was unusual it was not completely unheard-of, the Union hosted musicians from time to time and I'd seen various vehicles parked there before. Just not an enormous shiny black Lincoln.
   Two guys in black suits stood outside the limo, one in front, one in back. Both of them wore black sunglasses. In the shade. They saw me coming – I was alone in the alley – and they turned to each other. Since I was eighteen I didn't think anything of it and kept on walking.
   As I went around the front bumper of the limo the doors to the Union burst open and four more guys in black suits charged out, surrounding a little tiny woman. It took me no time at all to recognize Sandra Day O'Connor. Yeah, that one, the Supreme Court Justice. She was giving a talk at the Union and had evidently just finished when I ambled past. I had no idea she was so petite. I waved at her but she didn't see me.
   When I waved the four guys around her all reached into their suit coats, then at the same time they put their left hands to their ears. I saw lips moving on one of the first two guys and I thought it was neat-o that they had radios and could talk to each other. I kept on walking. The Union would be on about 23nd Street, if a street were actually there. I made it all the way down to 21st and Speedway before I realized something that made my knees go weak.
   If that was Sandra Day O'Connor, then those guys in black suits were Secret Service. Which meant they weren't reaching into their jackets for smokes, they were reaching for their machine pistols. They saw me wave and thought I was a threat. They were going to shoot me.
   Let me say that again. I was moments away from taking several bullets from Secret Service agents. The only reason I'm here right now to tell you about it is because one of the first two guys was kind enough to tell the other four that I was exactly what I looked like, an oblivious Freshman.
   I had to sit down by the gym and compose myself. It's not every day you cheat death by the skin of your teeth and only realize it ten minutes too late.
   You want to know the truly incredible thing? That was just the first time I've been very close to being shot. At least the first time I know of. The stories about the other times will have to wait.