When I left Columbus Street early Saturday morning, I began loading the rental car around 5am. It was dark. I was cautious. I paid attention. In that 45 minutes of loading, I noticed 3 different sets of people walking past: one lone man walking toward Broad Street; a couple (man and woman) walking toward the track; and, a woman on her own crossing from my side of the street toward the hot dog place.
As soon as Sammie Cat and I were off at 5:45, I didn't give any of it another moments thought until my cell phone rang around the Missouri border about 1pm.
It was my upstairs friend/tenant Rick, calling to let me know that we'd had a break-in on Columbus Street. Rick was there. He scared the perpetrator off, with minimal damage to the house and the apartment. As far as we can tell, nothing was taken. I spoke to the police while I drove. Rick had called my friend/back apartment tenant, and I let Rick know I'd call him when I got to a rest stop.
I yanked my head out of the clouds and began to flow with the rush of thoughts, questions and feelings. I immediately scrolled through the list of people who passed while I was packing and probably saw me leave. I wondered exactly how the guy got in, and had visions of bashed in doors and windows. I'd left at 5:45. I'm not sure what time Wirth left, but it would have meant his car wouldn't have been in the drive. Rick parks on the street. The guy was expecting an empty house. Rick thwarted a Saturday afternoon in broad daylight burglary, that could have been much worse for all of us if he had not been there.
There are huge feelings for me in the midst of all of this, that I'll save for another time. For now, it's a huge MERCI to Rick and lots of thoughts and plans for what I'm going to need to do to make Columbus Street safer. Once the window pane repairs are made, I have a list of other things that can be done.
I would love to be adding a dog to that list, but for now it's just: padlocks for the gate on the alley side of the house; re-installing the locking door and wooden gate across the back of the house in addition to the green chain link fence; and, moving all my garden tools inside to the laundry room.
In the midst of the trauma, there are
gratefulness and lessons learned...again.
I'd rather have a dog than an alarm system. I don't know Sam, but I'll keep you posted! Thanks for caring and worrying about me...nothing is easy, huh?
Posted by: Laury Bourgeois | November 24, 2015 at 09:55 PM
Please consider an alarm system.
Posted by: Sam Lucero | November 24, 2015 at 06:50 PM
Please consider and alarm system.....
Posted by: Sam Lucero | November 24, 2015 at 06:49 PM
Hey Pat and Niels...yes, I was grateful for a lot-Glad the guy didn't have a gun...glad that Sammie Cat and I weren't there...grateful that the damage was minimal..grateful Rick was there...grateful that those double dead bold locks on every door really do the trick...and very grateful that he left out the way he came. Also, a friend is going to fix the window panes for me. It's going to be the being able to feel safe there again that I'm going to probably have to work on a bit...Love you both-Laury
Posted by: Laury Bourgeois | November 24, 2015 at 02:35 PM
sorry to hear that, what a luck that Rick was there ! take care love Niels
Posted by: Niels | November 24, 2015 at 02:24 PM