Joy Brandon
Special Contributor
Jan. 15 dawned cold and blustery in Dallas-Fort Worth, with a windchill of 22 degrees. Sipping coffee in the warmth of her Colleyville Craftsman-inspired home, Lisa Grossman was watching the news with a cat on her lap. She loves this spot in the great room, surrounded by natural maple floors. Big windows bring sunlight, and much of her favorite art hangs here. The Alaskan White granite reflects her love of minerals and crystals, many displayed on windowsills.
It seemed a perfect day for Lisa to stay home in her favorite room and relax with a second cup of coffee.
Wrong.
Just before 11 a.m., someone pounded on her front door. Her doorbell app showed a man in black wearing a knit cap. He banged again. When he yelled “police,” Lisa cautiously cracked open the door, and saw an officer with a semi-automatic rifle.
“Do you guys have a car?” he shouted.
Lisa nodded yes.
“Good! Get in it and go. There’s a situation next door.”
And Lisa, hearing the urgency in his command, grabbed her coat, kicked on flip flops, and left.
The Grossmans’ next-door neighbor is Congregation Beth Israel, the Jewish temple that was the site of a hostage takeover during the weekly Shabbat service.
A gunman held Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others at gunpoint. But Lisa had heard nothing unusual.
While leaving, she saw only four cars at the temple and assumed it was a minor problem that officers would resolve quickly. She thought she would be home soon.
She clicked on the radio to find some news. She wished she were wearing a lot more than her Lands’ End cotton nightgown under her down coat. It was cold. It was windy. She was woefully underdressed.
As the story quickly became international news, friends called and texted, offering hospitality. After four hours, she realized it would be a long day. So, in only her nightie topped by a short coat, she went to Kohls. Lisa saw the humor in her situation and flashed big smiles at the other customers she passed in the store. She grabbed undies, yoga pants, and a shirt. She changed into her new outfit, and the cashier cut off the price tags.
Where to go. What to do. Hotels were booked for the Cowboys game and the rodeo. So, she “friend-hopped” — dinner and dominoes at one friend’s house, movies at another. Finally, Twitter alerted her that the danger was over.
At 11 p.m., she tried to return home, but law enforcement said it would still be hours. Her daughter suggested a 24-hour pancake house. Waiting there, she wondered whether a bomb might be left near her house.
At 2:12 a.m., all the Colleyville neighbors finally were allowed to go home. Lisa spoke to many police officers during her 15-hour evacuation and said they were universally polite, kind, and helpful.
For days, officers guarded the temple around the clock. News crews filmed for days with Lisa’s house in their backdrop, giving her home its own 15 minutes of fame on local, national, and international news.
“I was glad I was safely away from any danger, and my heart was with Rabbi Charlie and the hostages,” she said. “We really are neighbors in the truest sense of the word.”
Joy Donovan is a Colleyville-based freelance writer.
