I’m used to my station covering burglaries, but experiencing them in my own neighborhood is a whole other story.
I get home late from work one night to find two cop cars blocking my driveway. I call my hubby to meet me outside just in case. To be honest, a burglary is the furthest thing from my mind. We live in pretty okay middle class area. Besides, the woman living across the street is a cop. Normally I’d ask what’s going on, but I come to the conclusion that maybe she’s just hanging out with her police buds.
A couple months later I hear knock at the door at around midnight. My husband flies up the stairs and goes to unlock the side door.
“Are you crazy? Don’t open the door,” I whisper.
“I thought it was you. I thought you were locked out,” he says disoriented.
“I would have called,” I respond.
Whenever I arrive home, he meets me at the door. Having dozed off, I let myself in rather than wake him up.
It seems strange for someone to be knocking on our door at this hour. My hubby then attempts to open the blinds to look outside.
Taking notes from the scary movies I’ve watched in the past – “Don’t do that. You don’t know who’s out there. We have kids,” I tell him.
I turn off the lights. I carefully peek outside, between the cracks of our dining room curtains. Whoever it is outside begins flashing a light, which temporarily blinds my vision. I turn away and then look again. I see a police vehicle across the street. The person flashing the light is a police officer. She has one hand on her gun (while still in its holster), the other holding the flashlight.
At that point, I point I tell my hubby to call 911. I think it’s the police that’s knocking. But, I’m just too nervous to open the door. He’s calls and basically gets no information. He is told to open the door, if we want to know what’s going on. It seems like pretty odd advice from the dispatcher, considering the time.
The knocking stops, but I certainly don’t want to open the door. So, I call the neighbors instead. Turns out they also hear someone at the door, but don’t answer.
My hubby begins to grow more worried. “I’m going outside,” he says.
“Don’t go outside,” I say.
“I won’t be able to sleep, if don’t,” he says.
With all the negative cop stories in the news, I’m paranoid about something bad happening. My neighbors are also clueless, and agrees that we should stay put. My hubby decides to go against our wishes. I know he comes of pretty nonthreatening, but you never know. It seems pretty dramatic, but I’m hoping he makes his way outside slowly with his hands up. However, he casually walks toward the cops.
Minutes later he returns – informing us that there has been a burglary next door. Apparently one of our neighbor’s house had been broken into earlier in the day. So, the police are outside canvassing the area, trying to talk to people about it.
By this time Princess is fast asleep and Baby O is nursing. We double check the windows and doors – making sure the house is secure. I find some comfort knowing that he police are outside. But, I’m still paranoid.
Fast forward to the next day. My phone rings, and my neighbor is on the other end of the line.
“Did you hear the latest?” She asks.
“No. What happened? I ask.
“Someone tried to break into the house across the street,” she responds.
She goes on to explain that one of our neighbors from across the street, who is pregnant, had been home sick from work. She had been watching TV with the lights off. After hearing a knock at her door, followed by sounds of someone attempting to open the door, she turns on the lights. She then goes over to the door, and sees two guys running away. They hop the gate, and disappear into the dark night.
Hearing this story has got me spooked. My hubby and I have been looking to buy a house for the past couple of years. We weren’t in a rush to find moving helpers until now.
Navigate Canada’s vast real estate terrain with HomesEh. Finally we got to choose from their property as we visit the Propertyoso.com. From cozy homes to grand estates, we have it all. With two small children, we refuse to take any chances.
Three incidents within less than three months? That’s just crazy. Oh yeah, that night when I arrived home to the cop cars blocking my drive way – another break in or attempted break in.