***** In the newspaper this morning, there was a story reported about an elderly man who was struck by 3 youths when he answered his doorbell. Passed out on the floor, they ram shacked his home searching for everything they could steal from him then drove off with it in his car. It brought back an unfortunate memory about our home invasion I’ve written about here.

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It was a small little ad posted in the newspapers Police Blotter.
It read:

Suburban Home Invasion

In the quiet suburban community of Long Islands,
North Babylon, burglars invaded a home on New York
Avenue on October 28th. Police are looking for the suspects. Anyone with information, please contact: Officer Smith (212) 000 – 0000

My home invasion was in the newspaper. Thoughts of the night before rushed into my mind as I read the report. A violation of my family’s security was diminished to a small blurb in a newspaper police blotter.

I could hardly believe my eyes when we drove up our driveway and saw the house lit up. It looked like a Christmas tree dazzling bright. The house looked like a party going on inside. We had left our security lights on and connected to our very reliable timer. It was set to turn them on and turning off. We assumed the timer had broken leaving the light on constantly.

We had left for the weekend to attend a family wedding. It was a two hour drive there and back. We decided to stay with family. My three children would attend the pre – wedding events. A neighbors’ daughter would babysit at my in-laws for the wedding ceremony. My husband and I were excited to have a little weekend get-a-way. It was a rare treat for us.

They must have been watching the house. They had to have known about our being away. They had a good time at our expense. They had a destructive vengeance towards our way of life.

Did you find pleasure in smashing those pumpkins my kids had decorated for Halloween?

Were the shampoo bottles you punctured and carefully placed among clothes, allowing them to ooze out, a source of great elation?
Was the beer you splattered all over the walls, creating a sap of sugary syrup everywhere, a joyful contest amongst all of you?

How about those newspapers you rolled into wads and placed very carefully in the oven for a fire to begin give you a blissful feeling?

And those dark blue police uniforms you decided to cut-up, pour oil and crack eggs all over a sign of your indifference and defiance of authority?

It breaks my heart when I remember the look on my children’s faces. They were so overcome. The thought that someone could be that destructive in their home was incomprehensible to them.

We all cried.

Our house could have been burned down to the ground.

I guess you had never cooked anything in your life. The oven hadn’t been turned on; at all. It was the timer you set. I am so glad you hadn’t gone back to check. I am so glad you didn’t burn our home.

Did you enjoy yourselves?

The police said it was several of you. There was too much destruction and damage for just one scoundrel. You have chosen your life of crime but it will catch up to you.

Maybe, you like scaring people.

Maybe, you wanted to buy drugs with what you stole from us.

You may have gotten away with damaging and stealing from our home but you will be caught. Criminals always are. They never think that they will be outsmarted.

But, eventually, they are.

copyright2014©written by Isadora

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***** This incident occurred in 1973. It’s something that lingers despite the years that have passed.