Monday, July 27, 2009

The man in the bedroom

It was a hot and steamy summer night in the south, windows open and fan noisily turned on, going full blast in the bedroom. We had 2 teenagers and they came and went and refused to keep a key with them, or the key is lost or ??? They don’t lock doors, lots of issues with them but…the house was not locked. Neither teenager was home that night.

We lived in a split level home -- not much crime in that neighborhood. One can enter the house from the driveway through the back door into the garage, past the furnace, walk around the accumulated junk, past the car, 2 cats and one dog, the catbox, the dog bed, pet food dishes, laundry baskets, through the door into the house, turn, up one set of stairs, turn, up another set of stairs, to the hallway. Got it? Not the easiest place to maneuver if you don’t live there. No lights were on.

We’re sleeping and I vaguely hear/see someone walking in the hallway toward our bedroom in the dark. - I am closest to the hallway. He had very white tennis shoes on – that’s all I could see. I knew it was NOT my son as his shoes were always yucky. This man/person turns into OUR darkened bedroom, and plops down on the floor next to my side of the bed, and prepares to sleep in front of the noisy fan.

I was stunned -- what does one do? I distinctly remember sitting up, with my mouth open. First, I woke husband up, who couldn’t understand what I was saying because the fan was making so much noise, and from his side of the bed, he didn’t see anything on the floor in the darkened room on MY side. I checked under the sheet to see what husband was wearing – uhhh nothing. I checked under the sheet to see what I was wearing – oh lucky me -- I was wearing SOMETHING, not much but -- Looks like it was MY responsibility to do ??? what????

I turned on the light, and this big goomer, jumps up, and STUPID ME – I extended my handshake and said, “My name is Elaine”. He says, “My name is Mike – your daughter said I could spend the night.” Uhhhhh, I am being polite, introducing myself to an intruder, a possible killer – BECAUSE WOMEN ARE ALWAYS TAUGHT TO BE POLITE FOR GOSH SAKES!!!

Now, quilters, what would have happened if I had a gun under my pillow -- ??? I may have used it on this stupid young man! Or, he might have been a killer walking into my bedroom and used it on us? At this point, the big goomer/kid realized he was in very hot water and left very quickly, navigating the obstacles the same way he came in, apparently. Both husband and I were both stunned, frightened, shocked, and finally relieved we did NOT have a gun at the ready but ????

Teenage daughter denied knowing “Mike” when we next saw her.

We women don’t always have to be polite, ya know. And this also brings up the subject of guns – I still don’t know which way I feel based on THIS incident.

27 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, what a story!

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  2. Maybe from then on you should have insisted on locking the doors at a certain time and if your kids didn't want to be in be then or carry a key they could sleep in the garage with the dog and the cat.

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  3. The kids would have to learn to carry a key or sleep outside. I always had our doors locked and probably would have had a heart attack on the spot if that had happened to me.

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  4. Thanks for the detailed blog. I chuckled envisioning you introducing yourself.

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  5. Now that is my kind of story!!!! Scary and exciting and crazy!!!

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  6. Oh my!!

    I do admire the way you reacted though! Hope I could do something similar if encountering such a situation. YIKES!

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  7. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! I'm so glad you were okay! Did your daughter really not know him or was she trying to get out of trouble....cause if she really didn't know him then my gosh who the heck was he?!!!!!!
    dawn
    p.s. the hubby is away on business and I just rechecked to make sure everything is locked!!

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  8. Wow, it is lucky no one had a gun! How scary! but how cool & cheeky was he??
    You deserve a medal for your bravery.

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  9. Oh man, I don't know what I would have done if it had been me! How scary and bizarre! Wow.

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  10. How bizarre. Do you think your daughter knew him? It's a miracle he didn't get himself killed.

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  11. You handled that extremely well - I wouldn't have thought to shake hands with an intruder, but I think it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. Will have to keep that idea in my idea bag and hopefully never have to use it.

    I think that even if your daughter did give him permission to sleep in the house, I think sleeping in your room without warning you seems kinda far fetched.

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  12. What a strange story!! I am very much against guns and in this case, if anyone had a gun the story might have been tragic rather than funny.

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  13. My husband doesn't allow me to get near a gun - a story I'll tell on my blog one of these days. But I will tell you this, I would not/could not have been polite. I'd have been screaming at the top of my lungs! How in the world did you remain so calm? blessings, marlene

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  14. That would have scared the breath right out of me! I hope you notified the police. I think from now in I'd have the doors locked - what was the reaction of your sons? Maybe they see the wisdom now of having keys, locking the doors, etc. OMG! And guns sometimes can be turned against the person carrying them. How lucky you were!

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  15. Oh, oh, oh! Elaine, I am so glad God was watching out for you...that the guy was a little confused or something, that he was not violent, that he did not rob and did not HARM you! Thank you dear God!!!

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  16. Holy moly Elaine! My heart would have been in my mouth and I don't know if I could have moved! Whether the boy knew your daughter or not, to come into your house without knocking or having someone tell you in advance, and then going into your room! Wow! My mouth is still dropped open!

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  17. What a story! I cannot imagine that happening and I, too, am impressed with your cool. I would have been scared and angry/mad and I know I wouldn't have reacted with anything like politeness. You go girl!

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  18. What awesome presence of mind! Manners and calm can 'disarm' when panic and defensive behavior escalate danger. You're a great role model, Elaine!

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  19. Wow! What a story! So who was this person? Someone who got the wrong house? Yeah, maybe a gun wouldn't be so great... My mother once had a boarder who sleep walked. She found him naked on the bathroom floor one morning (closed the bathroom door) and another time he climed into bed with her! All sleepwalking of course. He was a very nice young guy actually. But he slept walked in a hotel once too and the police on him!

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  20. That's the funniest and scariest story I've read yet! I don't know what I would've done. I probably wouldn't have heard him and then when I got up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, I would have stepped on him! Good thing you had good hearing!!!

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  21. Hilarious! Shocking! Scary! Maybe he left because you were so nice! "Hello, my name is Elaine". Hahaha! You are too cute!

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  22. I definitely wouldn't have introduced myself! It would have been more like "Get the h--- out of here!" - at the top of my lungs! What a story! Did the kid seem, well, "chemically enhanced"?

    Since I don't have children, I have never dealt with teenagers, but I fear my reaction to the key business would have been "The door locks at 10 pm. You keep track of your key or you learn to sleep on the driveway." But then, easy for me to say.

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  23. That's sooo scary! I can't believe you introduced yourself! I don't know what I would have done. I'm glad nothing awful happened.

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  24. Oh my...that is scarey! I think there would be quite a bit of screaming going on in my house!!

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  25. Wow, that brings back memories of a break-in I had. Stupid kid on drugs climbed in my bedroom window and proceeded to climb in my bed as I'm rolling off the other side. I tore out of the house and stood in the middle of the street in my nighty until a car came along. Turns out he just wanted to go to sleep and got the houses mixed up. I sleep very lightly to this day!

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  26. I for one don't think I would be as calm as you were.. I would probably have screamed and kicked him out of the house or smacked him over the head with the closest thing I could find!

    Quiltingly Yours
    Andrea

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  27. That is so scary! I don't know if I would have been so calm. We do have a loaded gun in the gun safe next to our bed. Mt husband is the lighter sleeper of the two of us so who knows what would have happened. SCARY. Maybe now the teens will remember to lock the doors!! You can remind them of what can happen when they don't!

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