So you're having a breakdown...: seanan

So you're having a breakdown...

My house was broken into yesterday.

I had managed to leave my house keys on the floor next to my bed when I left for work, so I called my mother and arranged for her to pick me up from the train station. The Great Pumpkin was looking out for me; if she hadn't given me a ride, I would have come home alone, less than twenty minutes after I did.

When we reached the house, we saw a razor scooter parked next to the trash cans. "Huh," I said. "I wonder what that's doing there?" But we dismissed it as having been left by one of the neighborhood kids, and kept going.

There was a large Aaron Brothers bag, and a backpack, in the front yard. "That's weird," I said. But we decided it probably belonged to my little sister, who will sometimes put things in odd places while she does other stuff, and we kept going.

Inside, the cats were in a state of high dudgeon—even moreso than normal for a weekday afternoon—and appeared to have expressed their unhappiness by knocking a bunch of stuff over. Mom scolded them amiably while I started for the fridge to get a soda, and saw that Alex's bedroom door was open. His room is one of the only places in the house the cats aren't allowed. I thought "wow, lots of mischief," and went to close it...

...only to find that his bedside table had been cleared onto the bed. And the door to the laundry room was open. And the door connecting the laundry room to the back was open. And the DVD player was gone.

Cue freaking right the fuck out.

Mom searched the house while I got the stuff out of the front yard. The bags proved to contain everything that was missing: the DVD player, Alex's computer (mine was untouched), a bunch of small electronics, a few DVDs. (Ironically, our thief only took Firefly-related material. So we're looking for an asshole Browncoat. Nice!) The Aaron Brothers bag was mine, which explains why my pictures were scattered all over the floor.

After a heart-stopping moment of not being able to find Lilly, we got ourselves calmed mostly down, and Mom went to the hardware store to get new locks while I called the police. An officer came out and took my statement; we walked the perimeter, and found that the hide-a-key (which I didn't know existed until I called Alex) was missing. So that's probably how they got inside.

We think we came home and surprised the thief in the process of going back in for another load. That's why we found all their stuff (and the scooter). Had I come home alone, they would probably have still been there. And I would have walked in on them, without a car to warn that I was coming.

Alex got home and confirmed that all his stuff was there. Mom changed the locks. Victor and Lara came and took me for dinner. The cats got fussed over. And I took a machete to bed.

So...

1. Nothing is missing.
2. In fact, net gain: I have the thief's scooter.
3. We think it was a teenage boy, based on the scooter, the things grabbed, and the fact that none of my girly things were touched.
4. Alex is working from home today, so the house is not empty.
5. The cats are fine.
6. I will be sleeping with a machete for the foreseeable future.

It's an ignite the biosphere kind of day.

gorgeousgary

August 6 2011, 14:20:55 UTC 5 years ago

New comment

*Hugs*, calming scritches for the kitties, and pretty much what everyone else said.

One college apartment I lived in got robbed when an idiot roommate left the window closest to the fire escape open. I lost a couple of dollars of spare change from a desk drawer, but that was it. Still freaky though.

seanan_mcguire

August 7 2011, 17:06:08 UTC 5 years ago

Word.

poltr1

August 6 2011, 15:03:38 UTC 5 years ago

Oh man! I'm glad you, your cats, and your stuff are all OK. Or at least like a James Bond martini -- shaken but not stirred.

As for the twerp who did this -- may not-so-instant karma give him what he deserves.

August 14 2011, 00:42:43 UTC 5 years ago

I hope so.

kirylyn

August 6 2011, 17:18:51 UTC 5 years ago

(icon due to idjut thief)

SO glad the fur kids are ok and didn't go "investigating" the open door!

and that you did interrupt the luser (haven't gone reading thru all the comments to see if you were able to determine who the luser was)

my place was broken into way way back when but luckily my fur kid decided hiding in the bathroom was a great idea. (when I came home and spotted the door left ajar, my first thought was that maintenance was doing something. Turns out that they *saw* the thieves but just thought I was moving out, despite not giving notice *rolls eyes*)

just don't accidentally cut yourself on that machete!

August 14 2011, 00:43:07 UTC 5 years ago

I have managed not to cut myself thus far!

bardling

August 6 2011, 20:02:00 UTC 5 years ago

How horrible! And how lucky! Good grief, lady, the adventures you go through even at home...

I'm glad you're ok. *hugstight*

August 14 2011, 00:43:17 UTC 5 years ago

Thanks, sweetie.

arcaneblades

August 6 2011, 21:10:02 UTC 5 years ago

*hugs* Glad you and the kitties are ok. And I empathise deeploy with the freakout, having had my car stolen about 3 weeks ago.

August 14 2011, 00:43:28 UTC 5 years ago

Oh, no! That sucks.

amanda_nye

August 6 2011, 21:27:05 UTC 5 years ago

So sorry this happened, but glad you had your mom with them and didn't lose anything. Poor kitties.

August 14 2011, 00:43:36 UTC 5 years ago

Agreed.

wendyzski

August 7 2011, 01:32:15 UTC 5 years ago

I was out of town and just got back to see this - so glad that you and yours are OK and hope you enjoy your new scooter

August 14 2011, 00:43:44 UTC 5 years ago

Heh.

batyatoon

August 7 2011, 01:41:29 UTC 5 years ago

Waaaugh. D:

Glad there is net gain and both you and the cats are okay. *clinghugs*

August 14 2011, 00:43:55 UTC 5 years ago

Huggings for you.

gwyd

August 7 2011, 07:16:18 UTC 5 years ago

I am so glad you and the cats are safe. Bonus that he didn't get away woith your stuff.

August 14 2011, 00:44:02 UTC 5 years ago

the_darkstar

August 7 2011, 11:38:58 UTC 5 years ago

I realize that you've got a thousand posts on this, but I wanted to add some too. Just to let you know that I am sorry for you that this happened.

Because even there's no great monetary harm done (or so it reads), it is SHIT that it happened. I know because they broke into my appartment last October while I was at work. They didn't took anything beside some small amount of cash that I had. They left my laptop, pc, tv, dvd-player - everything. So I guess I was lucky. But if the door wouldnt have been broken open I wouldnt even have realized that they broke into my appartment. It did feel weird for quite a while until I could feel comfortable again.

Hope you are well.

August 14 2011, 00:44:22 UTC 5 years ago

I'm only just starting to calm down about being alone. It's hard.

archangelsmom

August 7 2011, 16:30:51 UTC 5 years ago

Our was broken into about 4 or 5 years ago - a couple bedrooms tossed and some computer stuff and a credit card or two taken; as well as a pistol that my (late) mother had in one of the drawers we hadn't cleared out. The door was freakin' KICKED IN. Talk about feeling raped. We are almost paranoid about security now - ADT and all. Glad all's well that ends well for you.