Violated

It's been a few days since I've been able to blog. Tuesday night we were robbed - right out of our own garage. Yes, we forgot to close the garage door. Yes, we left our vehicles unlocked. Yes, I left my pocketbook and laptop and digital camera and cell phone in the car. But I don't think that means we invited someone to enter our home and steal from us.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity - from dealing with the Richland County police, to closing out our checking account and reopening a new one, to getting a new drivers license, to calling security at my work to report stolen laptop and cell phone, to dealing with our bank and the police again as 'someone' tried to cash a check for $650 and the bank called to verify that I had indeed written the check. Uh - NO - isn't there a big red flag on our account that we just spent two hours closing and re-opening - that we just CLOSED that check's shouldn't draw from??? The super intelligent teller instructed the man to go back to the person who wrote the check to get his payment - and did not call the police to report him. WE had to call.

Now it's a mess - dealing with the City police, County police and the bank. I think the most frustrating aspect is that everyone seems to be so laid back about it - and are treating this just like any other bad check problem. HELLO!!! This was a ROBBERY! Someone came into our home when our family was sleeping, stole from us, and are now trying to reap additional benefits! Who knows how many other bad checks this person has been writing all over town - and given our crazy bank - who knows if they have authorized them.

More importantly is the ongoing creepy-crawly feeling I have being at home. Someone was in our home. There was nothing to stop that person or persons from coming up the stairs and into our kitchen/den - or worse - up the next flight into our bedrooms where our sleeping children lay. Sure I don't like that things were taken - but the possiblity that one of us could have been harmed - well that just freaks me out.

We've tried to make sense of this to A - who just couldn't understand why we had such a delay in going to school Wednesday morning. Who didn't know why the police were at our house. D tried to explain about the 'bad people' that came while we were sleeping and stole things from us. When everything was said and done and we were on the way to drop the kids off at daycare so we could attend to banking and identity and police issues - little A tried to rationalize it to herself.

A - the bad people didn't come upstairs, right?

Me - yes, sweetie - that is right.

A - the bad people didn't steal any of my toys, right?

Me - yes, that is right.

pause

A - where did the police go?

Me - to help someone else, that is what the police do.

A - why did they come to our house?

Me - because we had to write a report to help the police find the bad people so they can be punished.

A - punished?

Me - yes, you know how when you do something bad that you have to be punished and go to time out?

A - yes.

Me - well, the police punish people - they put them in time out - it's called jail.

A - ooohhh. (as if she really gets all this)

pause

A - I think the bad people were wearing white panties.

WHAT??????

Thus ended another converstaion with a three year old ......