Everyone is and was ok...Thankfully. I want to blog about this morning's experience because I am semi-proud of the way I handled a could-have-been deadly emergency....I was feeding Buggy in her high chair this morning while James played in the kitchen. The phone rang and it was my sister. After about 5 minutes of talking to her, a red pickup pulled into my driveway. A young man got out and approached my landlord's woodshed. I am always nervous when someone unknown comes to the house because I am a Mom first, and worry about someone harming me or the kids. (I also grew up in Baltimore City where gunshots were heard often and men kept their families hostage, etc....it happened often there and was scary)...So every single time, no matter where I live, someone unknown approaches my home, I immediately label them a rapist/murderer. I'm not kidding...it's just my paranoia. So I told my sister that a strange man pulled up and if he didn't leave soon or acted odd, that I would hang up with her and call 911. A few moments later the man must have seen me at the sliding door and started walking to the door. I got nervous and was telling my sister (who was in MD) on the phone, what was transpiring. He came to the door and did not say a word. I looked at all 3 doors and made sure they were locked. I moved the phone away from my face and said "Can I help you sir?" He stared at me. Never said a word. I said "Sir (louder) Can I help you?" He looked down at James at my feet and then me. Never spoke. As a matter of fact, I gave a detailed description of the man, but made note that his mouth never opened the entire time I saw him. (In my mind, this made him a killer)...
I know I can be irrational but I had to think of my kids. Why was someone standing at my door, not knocking, looking at me, and not speaking?
I grabbed James and Buggy was on my hip, so we darted downstairs. The dogs were in crates but I immediately let them out and told Pork, "Go get him!" I hung up and called 911. I gave them my info and was truly panicked. I thought he was there to do me harm, and kill us. He was giving me no other indication that he was there for a good reason. I glanced back up the stairs and saw him still looking at Pork. In my mind, I thought he was contemplating breaking in. What would he do with the dogs, the kids, me? I have never been so scared in my life. I begged the cops to let me off the phone to call J because he can get here in 90 seconds. I had to stay on the line. I asked if I should run out the back, if he were to enter....they said, hold on ma'am, the officers are almost there...What felt like 20 minutes, but I am sure was 4, Jarrod arrived (my mother and sister had called him) and the cops pulled in right behind him. I was ok. The man had left and we would soon find out that our landlord had sent him to the site to get a hose out of the woodshed. He was hard of hearing and couldn't hear me yelling through the door.
I know it sounds fishy, and to me, it is. In Maryland if you come to someone's door, you need to knock, or talk, and let your business be known. The consensus is that he saw me on the phone and thought I was going to hang up to open the door, so he could tell me why he was there. I don't open my doors. He was trying to be polite and waited for me. I thought it was creepy and still do. He was there innocently, and we are safe so that is the end for me....I did think of multiple scenarios, where to keep the kids safe, if I could safely get to our guns without being seen, and the like. I was a sobbing mess and almost threw up when I saw Jarrod and the police. This town is small, and very safe...but in my mind, that is where things like this happen. I won't ever be too careful when it comes to mine and my children's safety. Now our landlord is going to give us notice if anyone is to stop by on the property and I am to continue calling 911 if I am not notified.
I can tell you I am actually in pain right now because of adrenaline. I picture him breaking a door and killing us....Luckily I acted safely as best I could, and I didn't run upstairs like the idiots in horror movies....which I really have no business watching.
Since J brought 2 marines home with him, and this all ended up being a very innocent misunderstanding, I will probably now be known, in this tiny town, as the crazy lady who thinks everyone in town is a murderer...Maybe one day my paranoia might save one of our lives....
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Please know that it is not out of malice that I am PISSING MY PANTS LAUGHING right now. PLEASE know that. I know how frightfully scary it can be - I was in a house that was being broken into by a burglar who got chased off by a bear (can't make this stuff up)... it's terrifying and the adrenaline gives the worst hangover. Hang in there - you did the right thing - it's just fing so funny after the fact to read about. Next time you'll know to keep your foam sword in the kitchen, won't you? Oh, and send Porkster back to school for attack training.
ReplyDeleteOh totally Melis. I am still terrified of the looks/staring at me. As I drove home from buying Beware of dogs signs/ No trespassing it lingers. I think he may have been slow/mentally not all there to have literally stood and stared at someone for minutes without EVER saying a word. It's totally not funny to me though. I still feel like he was odd. If I were to go to someone's door, as in within 8 inches, I would speak, at some point and not just look in for over 2 minutes....odd.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad you're all ok. Shortly after I moved into this house, I came home one night and was chatting on the phone with Patrick (we were only dating at the time). While talking, my neighbor rang my doorbell and proceeded to tell me about how I'd had a peeping Tom here the same morning, while I was dressing for work. I distinctly remember hanging up on Patrick (without telling him what was going on), calling my dad, and then the police. My dad (also a Marine) was in the middle of dinner downtown, couldn't understand me through my years, and came right over with the dog, a baseball bat, and his mean old Papa Bear attitude! The police were there shortly after. The next day I had extra blinds, a peephole, and alarm system all installed.
ReplyDeleteMy house was also robbed twice in high school....I don't know what's worse: having someone IN your house, or having someone watching you....
You did the right thing, Amber!!!!
Girl, you know I feel you on this one after having Sean slug that drunk/high dude out and the go out to sea right after that...AND the time when the dude prowling our neighborhood stared at the kids and I and then tried to abduct a child the next street over two weeks later. I. Hear. You.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon.