Get Your Own Chair!

This morning around 9 AM, I was outside on my back porch where I can see my neighbors’ window. This window is just about four feet from the edge of my driveway, in that sort of no-man’s land of sideyard my neighbors never really use. My neighbor, let’s call him B, came walking up my driveway – not an uncommon thing as we chat and hang out sometimes. I said hi and he apologized for my patio chair being broken.

I said, “What?” and looked over at our brick-paved patio. Indeed, one of the chairs was missing the upright to the arm.

He seemed surprised I had no idea what he was talking about. I agreed I apparently was not in the loop. And he told me the story.

My very kind neighbors’ house was broken into last night… while they were home sleeping. How scary is that?!

The burglar was probably walking by casing houses and saw B’s window open. You can see it from the street right up my driveway. B’s window was only open that night because his air conditioner is on the fritz. So the burglar took my patio chair to climb on to get into the window. He got B’s credit cards and a bottle of booze before waking B up who was sleeping right there on the couch. B’s wife, kid, and the dog were upstairs.

B’s eyes adjusted to the dark, realized a person who was not supposed to be there was, and jumped up screaming in fear/anger. The burglar was as surprised as B. B ran toward him as the burglar made his way back to the window.

B practices martial arts and delivered a very powerful kick to the burglar’s ribs, which sent him crashing into the window frame, possibly breaking the ribs that were kicked and the opposite ribs that hit the window frame. The burglar took a head-first dive out the window and right into the patio chair shattering the arm-upright, which really would be the hardest part to break like that. The he took off through my backyard and over our fence. (I am secretly hoping he got a giant, dirty step into our compost pile.)

Cops called. Yadda yadda. They showed up quickly with the K-9 units who had some good leads but ultimately found no one. Our neighborhood has a lot of fenced yards. I imagine if someone were familiar with them it would be simple to mount a getaway quickly.

The cops dusted for prints. It was impossible for B to get a description. It was dark. The burglar was wearing dark clothing and had his hood up. It all happened too fast.

As B was telling me this I could tell he was still very jazzed up about it. I can’t blame him. He literally saved his family and protected his property with his body. His martial arts training. That will set off some adrenaline that may take a bit to get over. But they are safe and that is what matters. That and the bottle of booze was recovered - as evidence.

I couldn’t stop hugging him and thinking about his wife and kid. I want to stop writing this right now, go ring his doorbell, and hug him some more if it helps.

He has a dog, too!! What a doof she is, though. No one is surprised she did nothing.

And I'm sick over my property being used as an accessory to a crime that happened to them. I love these people!

He keeps saying he will replace my chair. Good grief! He better not dare! I will throw it right back through that window! :)

We live in a quiet suburb of Rochester. Not one without crime, but we have a good police force here. I feel safe enough to walk about at night in my neighborhood.

Now I am not so sure.

I'm told this happened around 3:00 AM EDT. I heard nothing. Not even police sirens. I was asleep, drugged from a day of migraines and vomiting.

I am so freaked out. I have a little personal security problem. I've been obsessively checking window and door locks, assessing potential house security issues, and asking Mr. M to be better about closing the (detached) garage door. We rarely open downstairs windows so that makes me feel a little safer. But I am jumpier than heck now so don't creep up on me.

Sheesh! Mean people suck.

I hope you are having a much nicer Labor Day than I am!! <3

- Vickie