balloons, stolen bikes, and broken fingers...oh my...

so, as some of you might have read...we had a client call and request to meet a messenger at thompson center to deliver some 30 balloons upstairs to lisa madigans office. we ended up taking the job because...well, not sure. anyway, the job actually payed alot of money...we charged a van solo which is pretty much as expensive is it got. so, who do i choose to take care of the sillyness...triple-six-five. she hasn't been to work in a while and could use the loot. she shows up and tries to deliver the balloons...apparently the client, which really isn't a client but instead used his/her credit card, was a protestor of sorts. he/she sent the balloons as a jab at lisa madigans office for some police brutality case. needless to say...they were not happy and sent 6665 back down holding the balloons...

6665...hey julio?

j.dot...what up? you got the balloons off?

6665...no man. its part of some protest or something and they wouldn't take them...what should i do?

j.dot...i dont know. is the person still there?

6665...nope. im gonna let them go...what should i do?

j.dot...well, i need you to get to your marsh sweep so let them fly...

seriously, what do i tell her? i wish i would've been there to photograph the whole thing or, at least witness the event. either way, six-five was happy to make money, the client was able to protest, and i had the chance to laugh out loud during these winter daze.

on another note, 6629 got his bike stolen. he didn't quite tell me so i couldn't get the word out in time to get eyes on the street. either way, i call him...

j.dot...two-nine, two-nine.

6629...hey julio, im walking my last drop cause my bike just got stolen.

j.dot...what? when? serious?

6629...yeah. its no big deal. im walking this last one. its actually kind of funny...they took my bike and left me theirs.

j.dot...what?

6629...yeah, they left me theirs but its a pretty busted bike. im gonna have to head home after this. it isn't a big deal...i got another one at home.

again, what do i say? at least he was in good spirits but not much gets this man down. he's been around for a while and knows how things work...unfortunately.

one more thing...6688, the biker that got doored and broke his fingers but decided to not go to the hospital. apparently he decided to tape them up but they settled completely off so he had to go to the doctor where they re-broke the fingers so that they would settle correctly. fuck...these winter days are getting weird and funny...peace.

maybe its the weather?

a couple of posts back i talked about 6637 getting hit by a bus and breaking his nose and pinky. he also was barely able to move around. well, he came back on friday...i could not believe it. we tried to keep him on short runs, strictly envelopes, and, for the most part, one at a time. there was no need to work him hard, even though he probably would not object, so we eased him back to work. he said he felt good but still was hurting...when you need the loot you can deal with a bit of pain. either way, it was good to hear his voice and it was good to know that the hit didn't scare him off the bike.

funny thing, we get 6637 back but, on the same day, we lose 6688. he has a late start cause he's part time but is very good at what he does. rides fast and never says no. very similar to 6637 so its funny that the accident happened to him. not sure where it happened but he ended up getting doored by a lady coming out of a cab. he said the lady freaked out and he felt bad for her so he just told her not to worry about what happened and let the lady and cab go. can you believe that? he's crazy. anyway, he calls me up...

6688...eighty-eight.

j.dot...what up?

6688...i just got doored. i think i broke two fingers. im fine but im not gonna go to the hospital cause they'll probably just tape them up and thats no big deal.

j.dot...what? umm...did you get info? you sure you're okay?

6688...yeah, im fine. i think i'll just clean up cause im hurting a bit, then im just gonna head home.

j.dot...you serious? you sure you dont want me to send someone to pick up what you got? you sure you dont need anything?

6688...yeah, i'll be okay.

well, he cleaned up and fairly quick. he calls back and says he's clean. i send him home and tell him to keep me posted as to how he's doing. im sure he's fine but if it was me who broke fingers i probably would've gotten a whole police report and cried during the whole situation.

on another note, i'll be working the third shift to cover for someone going on vacation...not a big deal but im gonna miss dispatching my soldiers...peace.

man down...man down!!

okay...since there's two dispatchers i wasn't working with 6637 at the time so i was kept out of the loop for a minute. i hear a little bit of a ruckus at work and i go check it out...turns out 6127, a driver, saw 6637 get hit by a bus. he immediately pulls over and throws 6637 in the van along with his bike. this is where i pick up.

j.dot...wtf? you alive?

6637...(mumbling) i cant feel my teeth. i think i lost my teeth.

j.dot...what the FUCK? damn, your bike is jacked up...

6637...i got hit by a bus, i feel like shit!

j.dot...dude, i hope you get better soon. let me know what happens.

the driver then takes him to the clinic and 6637 undergoes a series of tests to check if he's bleeding internally and how many broken bones he has. he shows up to base towards the end of my shift. he could barely move but at least he's walking. the doctors didn't give him a neck brace because they dont want the muscles to stiffen up. he has a broken nose and a broken pinky. his bike is completely trashed...i couldn't get a good look at the bicycle but the wheels where beyond being taco'd. the benefit he has right now is that he's an employee and not an independant contractor. this means the company pays for everything or at least they should.

okay...so what happened? he's not 100% what bridge this all happened on but it sounds to me like it was the lasalle bridge. a bus came from behind him...not sure which way he was headed(north or south). the bus then hit/bumped 6637 in the back of the head with the sideview mirror forcing 6637 to make moves. he then was pushed by the bus into a hole/gap in the bridge and his front wheel went right in forcing 6637 to flip over his bars and into the grated bridge. the bus stopped for a second and then kept going.

i told 6637 to call cta and let them know of the incident. maybe they will be able to track the driver who hit him by letting them know what time and what street? also, i let him know to post something on craiglist to see if any witnesse come forward. someone had to have seen something.

at this point...all i know is that we almost lost a soldier. one of the first things he asked me was if i had a front wheel he could buy...i know he'll be back soon. i told him to take his time coming back cause the last thing he needed was to get hurt again. i hope the medicine/pain killers they provide are strong enough for him to sleep at night...i also hope the driver is able to sleep at night knowing that he might of killed someone...peace.