Relocated
I’ve written before of my fear of The Murderers. It’s strange that I feel this way because I live in a very safe town in a very safe neighborhood. My neighbors are home all day (but they’re over 80 and probably hard of hearing), there are cars on the street, people out walking, etc. I can go out and start my car in the morning to warm it up and then come back in and collect Bean without worrying about someone taking it. I feel safe in my house.
But I guess I watch the news too much. And all too often bad things happen to good people in good towns who felt safe in their houses, etc. Every nightmare I have typically involves a home invasion. I remember one I had right before Lyla was born that shook me to the core. I dreamed someone had broken in the house and came up to the bedroom while we slept. I slept on the side closest to the bedroom door. Although I was still dreaming, I forced myself to open my eyes. It was still relatively dark in our room with early morning shadows casting through the window. The lights on the cable box looked like eyes. I was pleading with the murderer to spare me, that I was pregnant. And then I finally came out of it. Scared to death.
Today after dropping Lyla at school I pulled down our street slowly and saw a older model, white car with tinted black windows turning into our driveway. It’s a single driveway so if I pulled in behind them, I would’ve blocked them in. Instead, I pulled further down the street and turned around. While I did this, two guys got out of the car. They were dressed in jeans, over-sized hooded sweatshirts, and boots. One of them held a black portfolio case in his hand. The driver of the car pointed at the number on our house and they both walked up to the front door.
I was frozen. I was in plain sight, sitting in my truck watching this whole thing while parked right out front of my neighbors house. They rang the bell and stood back from the front door looking up at the windows. One turned around and peered into the garage door. I think I was holding my breath.
After a few minutes of waiting at the front door, they got back in the car, backed down the driveway and continued down the street to the next road and then turned left. The driver and I locked eyes. I’m 100% sure that they were just at the wrong house. That they were looking for a house with the same house number on a different street in the neighborhood.
I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable being home all day. Especially since they knew no one was home when they knocked on the door and then would’ve seen my car in the driveway after knowing it was me sitting alone in the street. I whipped into the driveway, ran in the house, grabbed my laptop and whatever else was on my desk and ran out.
I’m now parked on my mother’s couch for the day.
I wondered about calling the police or the management company, but the bottom line is that I’m SURE it was fine and that I’m just paranoid. I’m sure they were just lost. It happens frequently.
I think it’s just that I don’t want to wind up on the news…
Oh, that is awful. I have the same all-consuming paranoia, and if that happened I would FREAK the hell out and be on my mom’s couch, same as you.
I would call the mgmt company just to be safe – you can never be too safe. I once called the police over a threatening message left on my machine – once I listened to it again with the lights on and my husband and a police officer next to me, it was CLEAR that it was teenagers fooling around. But even the officer told me that I should always, always call.
Sending warm fuzzy safe feelings your way!
bessie.viola´s last blog ..continuation
December 16th, 2009 | #
okay, i’m not telling you any of what i’m about to tell you to scare you. just to let you know you’re not alone and not out of your mind crazy.
i do the exact same thing ALL THE TIME. why? well, i think i’ve always done it. when the husband is gone i think about if someone came in that door, where i would go, how i would get out, if i couldn’t get out, how could i get help … and so on. it’s insane. i get scared about stupid noises and yes, i investigate them and haven’t learned a thing from the FEW scary movies i’ve watched.
however, this odd thing that you watched happened. you’re not crazy. they could be just a annoying salesperson or someone looking for a house in which they had an appointment or something. i worked in the sheriff’s office for our county for over five years. we had a burglary that started out similar to what you described. a car of guys drove through a rural neighborhood, going door to door looking for ‘the andersons’. they must have got to a house with nobody home and that was all it took. the sheriff’s office ended up solving the case CSI style from a cigarette butt left at the scene (the owners didn’t smoke and you gotta love DNA evidence) but still the damage was done.
so, when i see creepy cars in the neighborhood, i get suspicious too.
jenny´s last blog ..same old story line.
December 16th, 2009 | #
ps. i might call the cops and tell them what you seen just in CASE something sketchy went down in the neighborhood. that way, you are an eye witness.
pps. although this kind of stuff scares me, it’s a little bit thrilling at the same time. that job was the best one i ever had. i would type ALL of our deputies reports and transcripe statements from the perps. it rocked.
jenny´s last blog ..same old story line.
December 16th, 2009 | #
Those sound like repo guys. Seen them in my development before, and unfortunately too often with a lot of people foreclosing. Same kind of dudes were two doors down from my unit. I am on my HOA board, so I knew the house in question was foreclosing and I knew they were working for a bank. The banks hire tough guys in the event that things get out of hand. And yes, they usually have a folio of papers, mostly legal stuff saying they’re allowed to do what it is they do. They probably just mistook your unit for another. And yes, those guys look thug-y. Hope that eases your mind. Call mgmt if you’re still unsure.
December 16th, 2009 | #
Poor you! That’s pretty freaky. Not sure what I would do if the same thing happened to me; my mom lives 400 miles away! I’d probably get the gun out and put it next to me. I’ve done that a couple of times. Helps a LOT.
Nichole M´s last blog ..christmas candy selection
December 16th, 2009 | #
Oh goodness, how scary. I can totally understand why you’d be uncomfortable being home alone for the day. Maybe you should get a dog? I’m just so glad you didn’t follow them into your driveway, and to the door – good thinking to stay back and sit tight until they left.
SJ´s last blog ..And Then There Were Two
December 16th, 2009 | #
i would be totally unnerved, too. except then i’d talk myself into staying home alone ANYWAY because i’d make myself feel like a spazz for believing my gut. and they always say you should ALWAYS trust your gut in these situations.
dear gut: i’m sorry i keep not trusting you. please continue to work. thanks!
Alice´s last blog ..update! i have not been offed by the mob!
December 16th, 2009 | #
CALL THE COPS………Let them decide who they are.
December 17th, 2009 | #
That is one of the worst feelings ever. Even worse is when you feel that way & live alone because eventually you have to go home…
Dawn´s last blog ..Grace in Small Things 333:365
December 22nd, 2009 | #
So, did you check their hands? Were they… green?
No, I don’t blame you. I bet the oversized hoodies had a large part to play in it.
ScribeJay´s last blog ..WordPress Holiday Desktop Wallpapers
December 23rd, 2009 | #
(oops – bad URL to my blog.)
ScribeJay´s last blog ..Jesus is the Reason…
December 23rd, 2009 | #