Are You Terrified When the Phone Rings in the Middle of the Night?

When the phone rings at 3:30 in the morning, it is rarely good news. I grabbed the phone before the ringing woke up my husband.

"Hello."

"This is the alarm company for your store on Marine. There has been a report of glass breakage."

"Have the police been dispatched?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. We will be right there."

So began the comedy of errors. I flew into my office while shouting en-route, "Babe, get up. There's been a break-in." Why the alarm company called my home instead the manager's home was a mystery.

I continued to shout with the loudest voice I could "Babe! BABE!"  There was no response so I walked back to the bedroom and he was snoring peacefully.  At this point, there didn't seem to be any legitimate reason to wake him up. 

Finally, my cell booted up, I got Tim's number and called him. "The cops are on the way. There has been a break-in."

I imagined that Tim was out the door before I finished that sentence. He is only five minutes from the store. We are several hours away.

Thirty minutes later, Tim called. He said that our front glass door was completely shattered and it looked as though they tried to reach in and open the door from the inside. The second alarm and flashing lights must have scared them away. I was certainly relieved but knew the cost of the door would be a at least two thousand dollars.

It was 4:45 A.M. Hubby was resting comfortably so thought I would go back to sleep. At 5:15 A.M. the police called. 

"Why isn't someone waiting for us at the store?" The officer asked. "Aren't you the owner?"

"Yes sir, but I am not in your town. Our manager has already been there and you weren't."

"What is your manager's name?"

"Tim Chaid. No, wait a minute. That's not his name. That Tim was a friend of mine who died several years ago." The cop must have wondered what blonde bimbo was on this end of the line. I was grasping to remember Tim's name. He has been our manager for over eleven years but with stress, my brain stopped functioning. 

"It's Tim Morris. Sorry about that!"

"Is that his legal name?"

"I don't know. I assume it is." 

"Why aren't you here?" He persisted.

"Officer, I do not live there. I was told by the alarm company that the cops were dispatched two hours ago. What happened?"

No comment.

I continued. "I will call Tim and have him meet you there."  

Tim said he would go back immediately but did the cops every show? Of course not. Remember, this is a small town with little criminal activity. Our store is on the main street where the drug addicts hang out at night. You would think they would be patrolling the area regularly.

I wondered if I could get back to sleep but thought I would try. Within five minutes I started to itch all over. My arms, legs, neck and back. Could this be from stress?

NOW WHAT?

I jumped out of bed and had a look under the light. I found five large welts and realized I had been bitten by a wolf spider. These invaders come out from hiding for two to three weeks in the fall. We had been killing at least three of them every night. They are huge. I have often wondered what they do the rest of the year? Do they live in the walls and then pounce on us and fill up on blood to get them through the next 11 1/2 months?

The Wolf Spider is the most frightening autumn's home intruder on the West Coast. They are about three inches in length and can run faster than any other spider. They don't spin webs, they chase their prey and usually win. 

It is hard to believe that one spider could have bitten me that quickly, that many times. 

There was no use trying to get back to sleep and I had a scheduled coffee date for 7:15 A M. As I was leaving the house, Babe woke up.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Not really - I was dreaming a lot and it was really noisy." 

I was laughing so hard I could hardly tell him what he had missed. I don't think he believed me.

The next day we learned that the 'gang of three' who have been terrorizing the downtown businesses for years will likely continue. Unless you can actually catch them on your premises, the cops do nothing. These crackheads know that and are not threatened. This is the third they have broken into our store and the first two times they stole a lot.

But all of us as business owners, have had enough. We are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. 

Stay tuned for the next chapter.............

This past month, I came close to having some gramma time but it didn't work.  One sad Gramma!

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This is the monthly Fly on the Wall post. A few bloggers share our stories about the craziness in our homes. Please have a look and comment on my friends' posts to see what is happening in their homes this past month - I guarantee you a smile. If you would like to join us with your story, please let us know.

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