Neighborhood watch
I was getting ready to take the pooch for a jog in the neighborhood today during my lunch break when I noticed a car I had never seen before parked in front an elderly couple's house next door.
Two people were inside. Maybe they're lost, I thought. Then another, more paranoid voice pondered: "maybe they're checking out a place to burglarize." That voice has grown louder ever since someone kicked down the door of our apartment in Greensboro a few years ago and stole a bunch of our valuables, in broad daylight no less and with our dog inside. I've always wondered if our neighbors saw anything but simply shrugged it off.
Not this time. I made sure to make a mental note of the car (older-model Honda with a bike rack) and resumed my jog.
About 10 minutes later, I'm heading toward the bottom of a hill where there's a T-intersection. Lo and behold, this very same car is sitting at the bottom of the hill. I jog right by them.
The driver screeched the tires and peeled off.
That inner, paranoid voice kicked into overdrive. I head back to the house, grab my keys and my camera and see if I can find them.
Sure enough, I spotted the car, which was parked on another street in front of someone else's house.
So I pulled up right alongside 'em, rolled down the window, took a picture of them and asked, "are you lost?"
The passenger apologized, saying he's teaching his son, who looked about 16, how to drive. Both were smiling. No burglary tools in sight. Just a dad and his kid, learning how to drive stick.
Oops. Boy, did I feel like a moron. I sheepishly apologized, waved, and drove away.
Now it all makes sense. The stops. The screeching of the tires. I used to do the same thing learning how to drive clutch, particularly popping gears at the bottom of a hill when I was afraid I'd rear-end the car behind me. I don't think my dad's fingernails ever grew back.
I got back to the house and burst out laughing at the idea I mistook them for possible burglars. I hope they had a good laugh, too.
Comments (1)
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Good for you, though, for being a good neighbor. We need more folks who "act" when something suspicious occurs. Thankfully, this time it was a laughing matter.
Posted on March 3, 2008 2:38 PM