askyermom

Ah, Spring!! Welcome back!!

In celebration of the renewed promise of warmer weather, a bunch of kids kicked in my front door. It was literally the most shocking thing that has happened to me since the last thing that literally shocked me. When I say literally shocking, I am not exaggerating, as much as I love exaggerating.

In shock, I found it rather difficult to find and operate my phone to call the police. Fortunately, I was not here alone and no one wigged out more than I did. The police arrived in about half an hour, I guess. It is possible that time was also a little rattled.

I explained what I remembered. We were in the front room when there were two loud bangs and the front door opened. We saw at least two young people sprinting away. Traits and clothing unknown. I suggested that they talk to the track team because all we could say is they were small and very, very fast. The police were polite and covered in cameras. They politely asked if I had a camera on my front porch. Sadly I did not, having given away my last camera because it was just loitering and providing no security in my no-crime life.

I asked around, as they said they would, but none of the neighbors had caught anything on camera. The kids were just that fast.

Over the course of a week, I learned that there were four of five kids involved and they had struck not only my door, but a house a few doors down. For this particular spree, they were looking for houses that did not have storm doors. I used to have a storm door, but I tore it off in a huff after my third failed attempt to repair it. Every windy day was causing parts of it to catapult off and flap uselessly in the wind, basically doing everything a storm door should not.

I have been enjoying not having a storm door. Entering is simplified and my ankles are in no added danger. I am not going back to using a storm door, but I did purchase a couple of cameras.

With cameras installed, I was getting hundreds of notifications every day. Car! Pedestrian! Birds! I set the cameras to stop buzzing me every time a dog saunters by my house, since I have no need to know this. Having staged no vigils on my porches, I had no idea how much activity goes on. I thought the ice cream truck was the only thing that got the neighbors moving.

People have made a point to check on me and express their concern. Most of them were speaking for clusters of neighbors who were distressed on my behalf.

Dealing with the emotional echoes was a process, to be sure. I had bursts of panic for a few days, and cried in safety for a few hours. I put the word out and got a few words back. I began to feel lucky that no one was standing by the door when it burst inward, fortunate that the old cat wasn’t crushed or even inconvenienced.

While vandalism is an unwelcome harbinger of Spring, I am appreciating the cautious warmth of my neighbors. After being here for a few years, I am seeing evidence of their care and concern and finally putting names to the faces who hurry indoors, at least until the ice cream truck comes back around.

A family friend I had never met before stopped by and repaired my entry at no charge. Even with no direct restitution or shackling of teenagers, at this point I sigh with gratitude every time I look at the door.

I am back to my usual understanding that the job of the door is to keep the pets in rather than to keep anyone else out.

Love,
yermom

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